The Royal Reunion
by robert3A-SN
Summary: Post movie: The King and Queen of Arendelle were presumed dead for 3 years - yet return to Arendelle 6 months after the Great Thaw. But the wounds and scars of the past - on Elsa and Anna - the lingering fears of the present, and other unforeseen consequences make it a very complicated reunion. Final chapter now up.
1. The Past Is In The Past

**Although I still have "Your Aunt Elsa" to keep going with, the truth is that after the next chapter, I haven't fleshed out the rest of it yet, or how much longer it's going to go. In the meantime, this new multi-chapter story has come up in my brain instead – so I'm going to switch back and forth between this and Aunt Elsa for a while. Although a few people have actually beaten me to this premise, I'm pretty sure the rest of this idea is all mine.**

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**Three and a half years ago [Three years before the Great Freeze]**

Very few fools would be at sea in the middle of a massive storm. There are some exceptions to every rule, though. One would be a royal boat out on official business – business that made it impossible to go back until it was too late.

Other exceptions were more reckless. Like young thrill seekers cooped up in a small, unremarkable island town, in nowhere's land between more powerful kingdoms. The sky was storming, and they were storming inside for adventure, so they had to go out there.

It was by sheer dumb luck they were able to take a good boat, and had enough friends to make up a crew. It was by even sheerer dumb luck that when they reached the eye of the storm, the worst had passed. And it was by the dumbest of luck they only had to face that eye for 10 minutes, before the waves and rain finally subsided.

Some people can plan against disaster as much as they want, to a near obsessive degree. Yet for all their efforts to keep out the darkness of the world, it can still make them look like fools. Often to a devastating extent.

That same world can pull an even crueler joke by rewarding their polar opposites. Those who have less regard for their own safety, and the world's cruel jokes, can still slide by without a scratch. No one would objectively say they had a smarter way to live - or they caused less damage than those who tried much harder not to. Often, it could go either way.

The way it went this time was both a cruel joke, and an act of mercy.

If these thoughtless young people didn't brave out into the storm at just the right time, they wouldn't have been at this point at the right time. Then they wouldn't be so close to where the royal vessel of Arendelle sunk not 10 minutes ago.

Then they wouldn't have seen the two floating bodies in the much calmer seas. Then they wouldn't have been able to recover them and bring them to their boat just in time.

And if anyone other than these people, from that closed off island in the middle of nowhere, had recovered these two victims, they would have recognized who they were.

Which was another cruel joke – because the victims didn't know who they were either. They didn't even recognize each other.

Anyone else would have recognized them instantly as the King and Queen of Arendelle. But not a soul on this boat did – not even themselves. The storm, knocks to the head and amnesia had seen to that.

At this moment in time, it was another one of the world's cruel jokes. A comical punishment for this royal couple who shut out the world – and now were shut out from it and themselves. Not that they knew the irony.

It likely seemed funnier to the universe when they returned to the island, didn't recover their memory, and began to live as regular people while they waited. The greater punch line was that they did it alone, since they weren't aware of their marriage or love for each other – or what that love produced.

They were separated from the person they loved the most, both by choice and not by choice - although they were right there behind closed doors anyway. If they only knew how the universe likely had a field day with that one.

If they only knew how this series of cruel jokes, ironies and consequences – of all kinds – hadn't even started yet.

**Five and a half months ago [Two weeks after the Great Thaw]**

The new Queen of Arendelle – daughter to the former, long presumed dead Queen – had nightmares. This was nothing new, only she was the only one who knew that. It was by choice, even now that Arendelle's gates – and her own bedroom doors – were finally open to all.

In the last 10 years of her parents reign, the nightmares were mainly about a little redheaded girl freezing to death. For the next three years after that, nightmares of the sea and of even more massive death took hold. Even after the Great Thaw, the Queen had even more specific nightmares of that redheaded girl freezing – mainly because that had actually happened.

Yet in recent days, this wasn't Queen Elsa's most troubling nightmare. The one of her frozen sister, Princess Anna, was tragic but predictable. She knew those nightmares would haunt her – but now that the real Princess Anna was back in her life, they were more manageable.

It was the nightmares of the actual dead that were much more terrifying. More than they'd ever been before. Less for the content, and more for the actual message.

That message finally drove Elsa to do something different. The first step was actually leaving her room – which still felt weird even after doing it for two weeks. However, the next step wasn't going across the hall to knock on Anna's door.

It was still a step too far, whether Anna was loudly asleep or not. Some habits – like the habit of never burdening Anna with anything – just couldn't die that fast. No matter how much Anna had been burdened by her anyway. That was just one of the many, many problems here.

In any case, Elsa had another room to visit that she hadn't seen in years. One breakthrough at a time. In a way, this one was easier because no one was in this room, and hadn't been in three years. In a way, it made it even harder.

Nevertheless, Elsa had so few true bursts of courage in her life, from her perspective. There was no sense wasting this one, since the nightmares would keep coming if it did. Not that this had a much better chance of stopping them.

Yet she opened the door and dared to find out while she still could.

The second she entered her parents' old room, and saw the old, dusty photos on their shelves, she almost regretted it. But without thinking – since thinking would likely make her turn back – Elsa made her way over to those photos.

The second she saw those pictures of the King and Queen – and their little princesses – she almost definitely regretted it. It made the shame of the nightmares, and the message they conveyed, even clearer.

"I failed you," Elsa finally told her parents' picture. "I didn't conceal it anymore….I can't. That means I failed you."

Over the last few days, that message was either conveyed in dreams by her dream parents, an evil version of herself, or a dying Anna. It was only now that she could say it herself, albeit to something that couldn't talk back.

"You gave up everything to keep me a secret. _Everything_," Elsa reflected. "Every day I show my powers in public….or show myself….I'm dishonoring your sacrifice. Making all those years useless. Stupid. Unnecessary…."

And that was the real revelation from tonight's nightmare that drove Elsa here. Because it was a nightmare where she actually got to talk back. Somehow, she remembered those words long enough to repeat them now.

"And maybe they _were_," Elsa let herself hear. "You gave up everything, _and _you _took _everything from me. From Anna. And I let it happen because _I _was scared too," she let the familiar shame run through. "I let it happen because I loved her too much to be near her…..but that love would have solved everything! Why didn't I know that then? Why didn't you?"

Picking up the photo, Elsa went on with her theories. "You didn't think of it because you gave up. On finding _any _other solution. I know because I did too," she recounted. "You didn't want me to control my powers. Not enough to go out again. You only wanted them _concealed._ If you were alive…..they still would be right now. And so would I. Even after I thawed everything."

Backing up a few steps, Elsa kept reflecting, "You kept me from Anna after I _almost _froze her….what would you have done after I _did_? I mean, who _built _those shackles Hans put on me?! Because it wasn't Hans!"

Elsa stumbled in her anger and went to her knees. Yet her focus was still on her parents. "Those shackles still failed, though. _Everything _you did failed….everything _we _did. And every day I'm in public is a…..monument to your failure. To ours! Do you know what that feels like? Didn't being too scared to mourn you feel bad enough?! And that's not the worst part!"

Feeling a familiar cold wash over her, Elsa put the picture on the floor before she could freeze it. She still couldn't stop talking to it, though. "The worst part is _knowing _I failed you. _Knowing _you'd probably want me locked away now. Knowing you're probably right. But….I don't _want _to be that way anymore."

"And the _real _worst part is…..the only way I won't is by putting you out of my mind. _Completely._ _Forever _this time," Elsa's voice started cracking. "I know how cruel that is. I never even said goodbye to you in _any _way, and I still need to shut you out forever! Like you shut me away!"

"But you made me shut down for 13 years! I can't do it anymore! Even if that goes against _everything _you taught me! The….the _last _bit of you I have left! It's like _I'm _killing you this time! Like I don't love you enough! Like _you _didn't love me and Anna enough, apparently! But, I, I…."

Even now, the words and lessons of her parents told her to stop it. To conceal right now, before she froze everything again. Now that her powers had been out in the open for two weeks, what damage would they do if she broke down now?

But she didn't want this to be a breakdown. This was supposed to be something else. Elsa only thought of it as a breakdown – not a break_through_ – when she thought about what her parents would say.

_That _said everything. That said what she could still become if nothing changed. And that couldn't be her anymore.

"I want to be Anna's sister again," Elsa made herself go on. "I want to show her I never stopped loving her. I want to make people proud of me, not afraid of me. I want to give them all the protection and happiness I never had. And I want to be someone that _can_ give them warmth and comfort and support and joy…..but I have _no _idea how. Because I let myself listen to _you_! So…."

Elsa couldn't finish that monologue, so she barely got to the next one. "I mean, look at this! I'm talking to a picture because it's easier than talking to Anna! _She _deserves to know what I'm thinking, and I _still _can't tell her!"

"Actually….you're doing good so far."

Elsa nearly jumped to her feet, and nearly froze at least half the floor. But the frozen parts didn't reach Anna – who was standing in the room near the open door.

"Anna! How did, when did…." Elsa tried to compose herself, putting her public mask back on. "How long have you been there?" she asked somewhat normally.

"Since the 'I failed you' part. Was that the middle of it?" Anna asked without a clue. Elsa didn't answer, which told Anna she was somewhat wrong. But when she saw Elsa start closing off – like she did after their first talks at the coronation and ice palace – she saw she was even wronger than that.

"Oh no, no! I didn't mean to shut you down!" Anna rushed over to Elsa. "I thought saying you were doing good would help! _I_ should have known better, not you!"

"You shouldn't know these things," Elsa muttered.

"And look how that worked out before," Anna let get away from her. "No, no, I didn't mean it like….I don't know _what _I mean or say! How can I? I don't know what'll set you off! I don't know how to act around you too, you know!" she revealed.

This time, she went forward instead of taking it back, adding, "But I'm trying to _think _before I say or do something! I didn't think at the ball, and _that's _why everything happened!"

"Don't you blame yourself…." Elsa said without thinking herself.

"Then _you _follow your advice first," Anna picked up on. "What you said about….._them_….maybe that's a start. Maybe they…."

Anna didn't know if Elsa was right about them. How could she? What did she really know about them now? If they really let her….and if they _lied _to Anna every day about….

Maybe it was too much to think about. Is that how Elsa felt now? Felt every single day? How could she….how could _they_….

"Okay, fine. Maybe talking and thinking won't help," Anna admitted, before she could think any more. "But please, find some other way where I can help. Where you can _trust me_ to be there. Find some other way to just….let it go!"

"Where did you hear those words?" Elsa responded in shock.

"In my brain, two seconds before I said them. Why?" Anna was curious. Elsa, on the other hand, was flabbergasted.

To think that she brought up Elsa's temporary motto without knowing it was hers – or singing it. That she could be on Elsa's wavelength that closely, after all this time apart? To be so oblivious to how hard her request really was – and yet _still _make it sound so simple and wonderful? The simple, wonderful thing they both wanted?

It was so purely Anna. Even after all this time.

"I missed you…." Elsa let it go before knowing it.

"You did?" Anna let out without thinking too. Yet soon, it was all Elsa could think about.

Despite saying more things to each other these last two weeks, Elsa never actually said she missed her. That's why Anna was so surprised to hear it. That's why she might have _never _believed she did. How could she?

Well, she probably heard Elsa say she never stopped loving her moments ago. But this was different. This was saying it right to her. The first of many things Elsa never let herself tell her.

That only made her remember how much she wanted to tell her. How much she didn't know how to tell her. Because of her – because of _them_.

Elsa gave up Anna for them. Now she _had _to give them up for her. It was the only way. Give up her dead parents….her dead parents she never said goodbye to…..and give up an entire way of life they gave their lives for….in one final betrayal of their love.

Or what _they _thought was love. And Elsa was sad about losing _that _toxic love over Anna's? Again? Even if….

_Let it go…._

_Let them go. Let her in._

Whenever Elsa couldn't hold her emotions back in the past, she still held them in anyway. At least enough so her tears and storms couldn't wake Anna. Plus when Elsa cried uncontrollably two weeks ago – and 13 years ago - Anna wasn't awake to hear it.

As such, this was the first time Anna actually saw her sister cry. The first time she could actually _see _what she'd carried inside all this time. All the pain, tears and sorrow that made Anna's look so, so….meaningless.

By this time, Anna was sitting next to Elsa, as they were both on their knees. She could have crawled in front of Elsa to hug her – but as Anna saw the tears running down her cheeks, she didn't want to waste another second.

Forgoing her promise to think before doing anything, Anna went back on instinct and just hugged her right there. She was hugging her on her side, so Elsa wasn't in position to hug back, but Anna didn't care. This wasn't about her needs – and it was about darn time she saw that now.

For Elsa's part, she was vulnerable enough to forego her instinct to pull away. Those instincts were the problem, after all. However, she did find the urge to try and pull away – but not for her usual reasons. Yet Anna wouldn't let go or move away anyway.

Elsa had to explain while she could still talk through her tears. "But I didn't….when they died, I never gave _you _any…." she tried to explain and get in position to hug Anna back, but couldn't.

"I got my hugs from Kai and Gerda," Anna explained into Elsa's shoulder. "You didn't." Anna figured that would be the end of it – until she was struck by the curse of thinking again.

"Wait….those two hugs after I was frozen…..were those the first hugs you had in 13 years?" Anna became horrified to realize. It was nothing compared to the horror of Elsa answering with mere sniffles, though.

Or the horror of seeing how someone who was denied hugs – and denied herself hugs – still created the most hug-loving talking snowman in the world….

"Elsa…." Anna held back her own tears, afraid that they would make Elsa stop and close off again. Yet hearing her go on wasn't much fun, either. But Elsa needed to let so much out. Because _they _wouldn't let her. But they….

Anna forced herself not to go there. For her sake, she could probably never go there again. Just like Elsa couldn't. Poor, tortured Elsa…..

"I'm so sorry….." Anna finally croaked out, before closing her eyes and hugging her tighter. It was all she could do to avoid out-crying her.

"_I'm _sorry…." she heard Elsa whisper.

Anna assumed Elsa was talking to her. Elsa wanted so badly to say it completely to her too. Yet when she opened her teary eyes and saw the picture of her parents, right before she said "I'm sorry," – she wasn't sure if she said it to Anna or them.

But she knew Anna deserved it so much more. Not them. Not anymore.

Yet when her fragile dam of tears broke, she cried for all of them. And everything else. _Everything_.

This wasn't like her tears when Anna was frozen. This wasn't like the tears she let herself shed in her room. These were all the tears she hadn't cried for 13 years. All the sobs, all the loud cries that weren't becoming of a queen.

These were the tears of a lonely, broken girl who needed these tears gone. Just so she'd have a c_hance _to get put together again.

And that only chance had her arms wrapped around Elsa right now.

When Anna finally opened her eyes through her own tears, she noticed the floor was completely ice now. Yet she still got herself to slide in back of Elsa and hug her from behind. Mainly so she could grab onto her cold, bare hands.

"I'm here, I'm here, I'm here, I'm here….." Anna muttered, willing Elsa to hear her and listen to her – and willing herself to listen instead of cry too. But Elsa kept her head down and continued to sob, her tears falling into icy shards on the icy floor.

Yet she wasn't pulling her hands away from Anna. Maybe she was too busy crying to know better. Regardless, Anna couldn't let her know better – no matter how cold her hands were.

However, they did get cold enough that Anna had to let go. Just long enough to rub her hands together, and grab onto Elsa's even tighter.

This made Elsa finally look at something besides her fallen tears. She was likely freezing Anna again – but Anna wasn't letting go. Not for more than a few seconds at a time. She merely warmed her hands up herself every few moments, then clung back onto Elsa's and muttered "I'm here," through her own breaking voice.

This wasn't supposed to be. Elsa was a queen. She was the older sister. She was the ice queen. She was technically a murderer. There were so many reasons why she shouldn't be this….weak. Why she shouldn't be held by anyone, much less….

Much less the only friend she'd ever known. The person she wanted to let in and hold her while she begged for forgiveness and warmth so many times. And here she was.

_God_, she missed her. Elsa had to make herself feel and believe she was….less than human to forget that.

But she never had to miss her again.

All it would take is the same courage Anna had just to hold her freezing hands. Hands that finally held Anna's right back, clinging to their unconditional warmth. Hands that….weren't freezing as much anymore.

Neither was the floor, for that matter.

As love thawed, Elsa's tears and sobs began to get quieter. Before long, her vision wasn't as blurry with tears anymore. After a while longer, her remaining tears just slid down her cheeks, with her sobs turning into heavy breathing. She even heard Anna breathe heavy as well.

Eventually, Anna and Elsa merely held onto each other's hands in near silence. Anna still had her head on Elsa's shoulder, looking down at their entwined hands and the dry floor. Elsa began to breathe normally, her tears having melted and her dormant emotions purged for the moment – at least the bad ones.

She began to make her way on her feet, with Anna letting go right on time. Even when Anna got up too, Elsa wasn't able to turn around and look at her yet. Now that she had her breakthrough crying spell, her head was on straight – straight enough to put the walls back up, if she wanted to.

She'd wanted to long enough.

"That's the last time I refuse to hug you," Elsa dared herself to say loud. She turned around and prepared to promise Anna, but realized that might be a step too far. The last thing Elsa wanted to give her was false hope, for a promise she didn't realistically know she could keep.

There was a fair and equally honest way to put it, though. "I'll do anything to make that true," Elsa promised the both of them. That was a better promise she could keep.

"I believe in you," Anna said when their eyes finally met. Unlike with herself, Elsa knew 100 percent that Anna would keep her promise. Her belief would make Elsa strong enough to keep hers, as it should have all along.

But as strong as Elsa wanted to be…..there were some things she just couldn't get carried away to do. Some things too painful to overcome – at least if she wanted to overcome the other stuff.

"But I _never _want to set foot in this room again," Elsa vowed, picking up the picture of their parents and putting it back on the table, while barely looking at it. Or at Anna again, in case _she _wanted to talk about or defend them.

"Then we won't," Anna surprised her. Another simple, naïve answer to such a dodgy, complicated issue. They really did have their place. Just like their owner.

Anna took the lead in heading towards the open door, with Elsa following. She snuck in a few final looks at the bed, the tables and the photos, before filing them away in her new and improved box of repressed emotions. As that box closed in Elsa's mind, she and Anna closed the door in reality.

It was the first time they closed a door together, or stood in front of one together. Somehow, the act of closing a door at all seemed like the only way this could end. Still, it needed one more touch to keep away temptation.

Of course, Elsa could easily unfreeze the door and melt the ice that sealed it up. She just didn't plan to come here and get tempted. But she couldn't freeze and block off an entire hallway, so the door would have to do.

With at least one door closed for the better, Elsa turned around to head back to her open door. Anna got herself next to her, as the two of them walked in silence. The princess was tempted to take her sister's hand or give her some kind of touch, in case she still needed it.

Yet Anna took her hand back at the last moment, using her new "thinking ahead" powers to see how Elsa might have had enough opening up for one night. Anna wanted more nights like this – with the good kind of opening up this time – so there was no sense cramming it all into one.

However, those powers proved defective when Elsa took Anna's hand.

On the other hand, Anna's tentative but steadily larger smile gave Elsa all the power she needed.

Still, she wanted to keep some power in reserve for the future. As such, she decided not to tell Anna about when she was five years old until tomorrow.

Nevertheless, Elsa remained surprised when she actually kept her promise - the first of many.

**Three months ago [Three months after the Great Thaw]**

As far as he knew, his name was Maurice. Since he didn't know his 'real name' he figured Maurice would do until he did. But it was working well for him so far.

Whatever his old life was, this one was probably much better. Working on an island where the outside world didn't bother him. Getting to walk around in heat and sun and all things hot most of the year, which was good even with the heavy beard. Having friends to talk to every day – even that strange woman who was in that strange boat accident with him.

Eventually, she decided to call herself Idina. Then she joined the staff of the island's top restaurant, and within three years, rose to pretty much rule the kitchen floor. Maurice was content to rise to power as manager of the island's second best summer clothing store. Their paths crossed once in a while, but their jobs kept them too busy for much more.

Of course, they had no reason to expect anything more out of life. After the way theirs were spared, and considering how their old lives must have been if they even went into that storm, they were better off with their new lives anyway.

None of them gave it another thought. Right up to the day one of the shipping captains came to Maurice's shop, looking for new summer attire.

The captain was looking forward to some time off, after several weeks of fishing and traveling. Once in a while, he even went to other kingdoms to offer them supplies. He told Maurice he went to this place called Weaseltown that was dying to buy stuff – especially after this evil queen stopped trading with them.

He even brought a newspaper from that town, to prove he wasn't lying. Seems this kingdom called Arendelle actually had something called a "Snow Queen." If that didn't make him glad to be in the sun, nothing did.

Maurice chuckled with him, curious enough to take the paper and read it for himself. It had a full color picture of this "Snow Queen" with some nasty captions at the bottom. But they still paled to this…..fairly pale young woman with a blue sparking dress, braided hair, deep blue eyes….

Deep blue eyes….

_Deep blue eyes staring at him from a baby's blanket._

_Deep blue eyes crying as snowflakes rained down her fingertips._

_Deep blue eyes looking down at a newborn baby girl in her little arms._

_Watching a three year old girl in pigtails run around a giant hallway._

_Wiping snow out of her eyes during a snowball fight._

_Watching an unconscious five-year-old girl during a sled ride._

_Covering her eyes in fear after seeing a vision above some rocks._

_Watching carefully as she put on blue gloves._

_Barely looking at…..two people that looked like Maurice and Idina as frost covered a fancy bedroom._

_Turning away from a window as Maurice, Idina and a bigger version of that red headed girl play outside….what looked like a castle._

_Looking down respectfully as she curtsies before Maurice and Idina pick up suitcases._

_Suitcases that fly around on a boat._

_Suitcases that strike Maurice and Idina on a boat, before a surge of water consumes them._

_Consumes a boat with a royal symbol on it. The symbol of…._

When Maurice snapped out of his….trance, he picked up the newspaper again – and found that symbol on a banner behind…..behind….

"Elsa!"

And like that, the rest revealed itself. Who Maurice really was. What he was. What he'd done. What he concealed from the world, and his own daughter.

Who he had that daughter with….

Where she was now…..what she still _thought _she was now….

How they'd spent three years apart because of who they _both _thought they were….

That was wrong. Such a cruel separation should never have been allowed. It wouldn't be any longer.

Without even bothering to explain his trances, gasps and apparent mental breakdown to the captain, "Maurice" took the newspaper, rushed out and abandoned his supposed job. He had to get his wife out of hers, while he still remembered everything.

With breakneck speed, he rushed to the restaurant, hoping his wife's staff was serving a light lunch crowd. It was medium, but he cut through the lines and through the table, until he found….he found….

"Maurice? What is the meaning of this?" his wife asked with a deep frown. His wife….his Queen. "Get out now, you're causing a scene!"

"This is our daughter!" he still went on, holding up the newspaper for his wife.

"Our…." she was beyond confused. And apparently just looking at the picture didn't trigger anything.

"We were on a voyage to the Northern Isles. Our boat sank. We left behind an entire kingdom! And two daughters! One with…." he struggled to say. Among other things, he now remembered the need to conceal. Even in an island thousands of miles from Arendelle. Even if she really had been….

"You picked out her gloves!" he made himself tell her. "You stayed in the royal library every night for three years, looking for a magical cure! You taught her to throw snowballs with her own two hands! You taught her to sing the same lullaby to Anna you sang to her when she was born! We were all there, in the castle!" he was somehow allowed to explain.

"I, I…..I don't know what you're talking about, Maurice," she kept insisting.

"You have to!" he pleaded, knowing there was little time before she composed herself to throw him out. Yet with that and his new old memories, he still couldn't remember the lyrics of that blasted lullaby. After all the times she hummed it, one would think he would….

But once the waiters finally took him by the arms, he figured humming would have to do.

The humming was pretty off key, and not just because he was desperate for his wife to hear him.

Yet the louder and shriller it got, the more she wished to hear something softer.

_A soft humming of her baby's favorite lullaby when she was sleeping in her arms._

_The sound of her growing baby girl humming it to her new sister while resting in her bed._

_The sound of laughter and joy when her little girl threw her first snowball._

_The sound of sobbing from behind a locked bedroom door – which she barely kept herself from opening._

_The sound of frantic page turning as she browsed through every book on magical beings._

_Her own sobs as she realized there was no point in finding answers anymore._

_The softer page turning of…..what looked like Maurice as he looked through the books himself afterwards. He never told her about that, and she never brought up what she saw either._

_The sheer quiet in the great hall as she walked by herself – with no chance anyone would join her._

_The sound and feel of a hug from a redheaded girl, while she was standing near some suitcases._

_The louder and louder sounds of oncoming water._

_The sound of a falling suitcase – and then a sudden thud._

_The embrace of a man before she passed out and the waters came._

_The embrace of….of….._

Like he did, she stumbled backwards as the memories flooded back. In this case, when she looked back up, an understanding – but more heavily bearded face - was greeting her. A face she'd seen off and on for three years….and before that….

"Gaspar?"

"Malin…."

Absolutely no one in that restaurant knew what was going on. The only ones who just figured it out weren't explaining, though. They were too busy sharing a hug three years overdue.

But before they shared tears three years overdue, former Queen Malin noticed the newspaper still in her hands. Former King Gaspar pulled away and noticed it again too.

There were so many things they had to say to each other. So many shared memories to recollect. So many experiences from the last three years to see in a new light.

But none of those words came. Not with the words they were now both reading in the Weselton paper. Not with the picture above them. Not with that picture showing _her _out of the castle, exposed – and without any gloves. As if the ugly words printed weren't enough.

All of it made her mother and father say just one word. With a very familiar inflection of fear.

"Elsa…."


	2. Put On A Show

**Present day [Six months after the Great Thaw]**

This was one of the very few times Elsa was 100 percent happy to be away from Anna. Though it wasn't like that.

Even before the Great Thaw, Elsa heard enough to know Anna hated her studies. Frequently during a snow day, Anna would just tune her teachers out, then spring away the second class was over to play. Anna had her fun confirming it during their second sleepover, in spite of Elsa's lectures about learning.

That was why Elsa was glad Anna had no interest in attending royal council meetings. Otherwise, she'd have a field day seeing Elsa struggle to listen to Prime Minister Van Garrett.

It would have been one thing if he had anything new to say about trade and Weselton's propaganda, though. Since he didn't, it was easier for Elsa to let her mind wander – but not because she was eager to spring out and play. Not that she wasn't eager for tonight. And not that it wouldn't feel like play if it went well.

_If _it went well. For that, she would _really _need Anna to be there, like always. Which she would. So would everyone else. Everyone who knew that Arendelle's first natural winter since the Great Thaw had started – if today's natural snowfall wasn't a clue – and would look to Elsa to make this a happier one.

If tonight went well, it could be just the sign they all needed. If not….it wouldn't matter that this was the first winter where Elsa could be out in the open, in her own elements. She might as well stay in if –

"Your Highness?" a sharp voice interrupted her. It sounded like it was in its mid 50's, with an official tone second only to her own. It had to be the Prime Minister.

"My apologies, Mr. Van Garrett," Elsa said to cover her bases. "Please go on."

"It's all right, Your Highness. If you were thinking about your winter show tonight, then we were on the same page after all," Van Garrett assured.

"But I suspect not in the same way," Elsa accurately guessed.

"Your Highness, this is a very delicate time," the Prime Minister started. "The winter doesn't just remind _our _citizens of….our _last _winter. Any demonstration of your powers, no matter how peaceful, will be twisted around by our enemies. Who can then use it to create new enemies. Especially if we don't….reduce our current number of enemies."

"Which we can do by concealing my powers. Or reestablishing old ties," Elsa guessed Van Garrett would say again. "I hoped by now you would understand why that can't happen."

"I do, Your Highness, I truly do," the Prime Minister promised. "I understand we've gotten by so far. But….all it takes is _one _error to destroy all that. I hope you understand that too."

He was speaking with what sounded like genuine concern and council, not snide doubt. This helped Elsa measure her response. "No one understands it more," she warned. "Yet I'm going forward anyway. I hope it makes you understand just how committed I am. That alone should be enough to make this work."

"We all want that, Your Highness. As always, we are at your disposal," Van Garrett conveyed.

"Good," Elsa saw a window of opportunity. "Then I should start getting ready now. You should all go and enjoy the start of the holidays with your families. I hope they'll be there with you tonight."

"With bells on, metaphorical or not, Your Highness," Van Garrett shared, to which all other important government officials nodded.

"Excellent. Meeting adjourned," Elsa declared, getting herself up along with everyone else. The others stood in place until the Queen left the chambers, en route to her room for last minute practice.

She only hoped the well-intentioned but accidentally fearsome words from her Prime Minister didn't throw off her practice too much. Among other things.

Goodness knows words – and people – like that had a history of doing that. Even if Elsa was doing a better job forgetting about it.

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Although the beginning of winter wasn't exactly sailing weather, the presence of a small boat docking into Arendelle in the late afternoon didn't make anyone suspicious. Neither did the fact that only two people were on it.

Given the open gates policy, and the anticipation for tonight's display, the people had other things to think about.

It also helped that thanks to years of closed gates and castles, and three-and-a-half years of being declared dead, no one really recognized the former King and Queen of Arendelle. As it turned out, it was barely necessary for King Gaspar to keep his long beard.

Still, he and Queen Malin had taken every precaution before coming here. That's why it took three months.

First they had to explain away their apparent mental breakdown on the island, without revealing their true identity. Although the island was far removed from Arendelle and had no knowledge of the Snow Queen – and although the Snow Queen was now known to everyone else – her parents were not prepared to let anyone else know who she was. So they couldn't know who _they _really were.

That meant they would have to sail back to Arendelle themselves. That meant they actually had to learn how to sail a boat – which they always left to other people. That meant they'd have to learn how to sail in dangerous fall waters.

First they had to explain that they wanted to leave the island, without revealing where they were going and why. Then they had to refuse offers for others to sail them back, in case it would put them in danger later. Then they had to find the right material to read, the right teachers to help them, and the right boat to pick out.

All told, it took two-and-a-half months until they couldn't wait anymore. It took another two weeks, only a few serious storms, and a lucky break of stretching their food supply for two weeks. But finally, the former King and Queen found their way home.

They only let themselves savor the familiar but new scenery, the very vaguely familiar sights of open gates, and the hustle and bustle of Arendelle for a few moments. It was the sizable amounts of snow on the ground that captivated – and concerned them – more.

King Gaspar tightened the blue hood he was wearing over his head, while Queen Malin did the same with her red hood. They walked around until they found a young enough citizen who might not recognize them. Just in case, the King practiced the deep, raspy voice he had practiced on the boat.

"Excuse me, citizen of Arendelle," Gaspar gruffed out.

"Yeah?" he answered. The former King didn't respond right away – after all, this was the first time he'd spoken to a citizen of Arendelle in over 13 years.

Queen Malin got over the discomfort and mixed emotions faster, asking in her normal voice, "It looks like there was a heavy snowfall. Was it….natural?"

"Oh, yeah! The Queen promised she wouldn't make any till tonight," the Arendellian replied.

"And you believe her?" Malin followed up. "She's….that trustworthy to you? Because you trust her? Not because you fear her?"

"We haven't had an eternal winter in six months. That went a long way," the man answered.

"And most people here think that way?" the King rasped. "They don't believe the….ugly words from Weselton? Because they know better? Not because they're afraid?"

"From where?" the man didn't assure his old King right away. "Oh, oh! You mean Weaseltown! Wow, you must be new here," he chuckled. "Don't worry, we know better."

"You make it sound so easy," Gaspar almost said normally. "If only _really _knowing better wasn't such a burden."

"Okay….you keep being weird new people, I'll go enjoy Queen Elsa's show at the courtyard. Have fun with your thing!" the King and Queen's first contact left with a skip.

Yes, knowing better really _was _too much of a burden. Three years of blissful ignorance, and three months of painful remembering, taught Gaspar and Malin that all over again.

But they had to endure it just a while longer. At least until they got to the courtyard, apparently.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Before long, the courtyard was filled with much of the citizenry of Arendelle, and its important leaders. All except one.

It wasn't that she was refusing to come out. She agreed that it would help the crowd settle in by having Anna as her 'warm-up act.' Clearly their laughter – and the surprising lack of crashing sounds – was a good sign.

Elsa stood behind the door, allowing herself to enjoy the sounds of Anna's entertainment, Olaf's scene-stealing supporting role, and even the cameo from Sven. They were indeed the perfect opening act – but they weren't who everyone came to see. As Anna somewhat helpfully reminded.

"Okay, winter wonderland lovers! You ready for some winter wonderland wonderment?" Anna could be heard like a true show woman. "Then let's bring out the winter's greatest Queen!"

Even the applause from the crowd didn't fill Elsa with complete bravery. In spite of how good things had been, this would be the greatest demonstration of her powers since….that day. The ice rink and the small little displays for children would be nothing compared to this.

Nothing other than her ice palace and her….other winter creations _that _day would compare to this. Yet this would be the first time she needed people to see it, like it, and not fear it. And her.

Elsa knew if she was going to get through this milestone winter, this was necessary. If she was going to show everyone in this kingdom – if only this one – that she was nothing to fear anymore, she had to show just how beautiful her powers were. How beautiful she wanted them to be.

She wanted them to see her….gift through Anna's eyes. And Olaf's, Kristoff's and Sven's. If only for this one night.

She'd survived six months of outings into town. Play days with Anna. Harsh relapses. Anna pep talks. Getting used to _feeling _again. Some rough days while Anna was away with Kristoff. The actual business of being Queen. Worrying about those who wished Arendelle had a different Queen. Being relieved that fewer people in Arendelle felt that way. And now it came to this latest milestone.

The people who were outside trusted her. Or at least didn't fear for their lives around her. They believed they would see something wonderful, worthy and _good _from her powers. A lot of it probably had to do with her biggest believer – but this was on Elsa now.

It was on Elsa to reward Anna's faith in her. Make sure she wouldn't be thought of as a liar.

If Elsa wasn't allowed to doubt herself, then _no one _could doubt Anna. If they had enough faith to actually believe in their Queen….no one should be allowed to doubt them either.

Maybe not even Elsa.

"Please welcome, your very own Queen of the wind and sky!" the Queen heard Anna in an exaggerated regal voice. "Queen Elsa of Arendelle!"

No getting out of it now. At least Anna used her fourth most proper fake regal voice for starters.

Time to put on a show.

With a deep breath, Elsa put on her best regal face, before opening the door.

She walked out into the courtyard, unbothered by walking through the ice rink. The cheers of the people and the crowd helped, although as always, Anna's cheers were louder and more helpful. When she reached her sister, Anna gave one of her better versions of a royal salute, then went to join Kristoff and Olaf in the crowd.

Now completely in the spotlight, Elsa made herself bury her last bit of nerves. But although they were concealed, she could do that and still feel too. Once she embraced her better feelings, she was set to make everyone else feel the same way too.

"Thank you all for coming," Elsa felt and spoke honestly. "I know this is a very unique winter ahead for Arendelle. I'm sorry if I interrupted your preparations. But I just wanted to take a few minutes to give this place a….welcoming holiday touch."

Allowing herself to feel deeper – and feel for her audience – Elsa shared, "I know you've _all _missed that. And dreamed of it as much as I have these last 14 years. Tonight, and in the many winters to come….I hope we can start to get it back together."

Those were more like Anna's words than hers. It took a very fattening scoop of chocolate for them to compromise on this final draft. That scoop was very nearly worth it – but the applause from the crowd certainly filled the gap.

To her credit, Anna didn't look too gloaty as she cheered. She'd probably save that for later. If anything, this show would buy Elsa time.

With that, Elsa got into position at the center of the courtyard, got her bare hands set, and asked with growing eagerness, "Are you ready?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The former King and Queen quickly, but conspicuously, made their way through the crowd. It looked like they were halfway through, as they could vaguely hear someone talking from the courtyard. Maybe there was still time left.

But their thoughts, their fear, and their very bodies froze – as soon as they saw another frozen item rise up from the ground.

The entire audience could see a gigantic, 50 foot tree of ice rise from the ground. It was shaped exactly like a giant Christmas tree, and was at least 10 times as stunning. It even looked like there were ornaments hanging off the icy branches.

Everyone was stunned over the display. It made it easier for the King and Queen to move towards the front of the crowd. Even though they were on stunned autopilot as well.

They froze in place again when they saw a gust of wind and wintery elements rise towards the tree. When it got to the top, it transformed into a star-like snowflake, which lit up as it settled perfectly on top of the tree.

Nothing could have made the tree itself look better. Yet by the time the King and Queen got close enough to the front, Elsa was already at work surrounding it with more beauty.

However, her mother and father could barely take their eyes off of her. She was creating smaller ice sculptures of candy canes, reindeers, miniature trees and sleighs. Yet Gaspar and Malin only saw their daughter.

They saw her concentrate in a way they'd never seen from her before. They saw her focus without fear for the first time since they could even remember anymore. They saw her powers come out without touching or hurting anyone in the audience. They saw her bare hands stay steady and controlled in a way they'd stopped imagining long ago.

They saw emotions other than fear and practiced indifference from their daughter. Even when they got their memories back, they…..barely remembered a time when they saw her look this way. They barely even remembered the last time she smiled. Even then, it was nothing like this.

None of this was.

She wasn't even done yet either. Once there were more than enough sculptures, Elsa went to the last untouched area of the courtyard. There, she unleashed a wintery cloud that dumped a heavy snowfall on the area – yet it didn't touch anywhere else.

The snow was contained. It was harmless. It was large enough that the kids in the crowd looked more and more eager to play in it. Perhaps that was the whole idea.

Whatever it was, Elsa brought an end to it by dissolving the cloud harmlessly. Without cringing, without shivering, without looking around to see if she'd hurt anyone. She could tell she hadn't. It was like she _knew _she hadn't.

If she didn't, the cheers from the crowd confirmed it for her.

Their cheers and clapping were loud enough, she couldn't notice that two people weren't clapping and cheering. They were too stunned to even move.

When over a decade of their lives had been validated – and shattered – in just a few minutes, there wasn't much they could do.

And that was before Anna rushed into view.

The former Queen came closest to actually saying Anna's name, but it was caught in her throat. Her eyes weren't so closed off, however. Silent tears fell freely as she saw her daughters….._talk_. And _smile _at each other. And _hug_.

Well, Anna did much of the hugging. As….overly emotional as it was for a princess, much less a Queen, Elsa didn't seem to mind. She didn't flinch at her touch at all. In fact, she even embraced her for a second before Anna pulled away.

"Wasn't she great, folks?" Anna said her first words in front of her parents in over three years. The sound of it made it impossible for the king to contain his silent tears anymore. "Let's give our very generous Queen a big warm hug of applause! Before we crush her in a snowball fight!"

Everyone gave them that warm hug. Save for two people. Two people who would have done much more….emotional things if they stayed any longer.

"It's too much," Malin barely whispered. Gaspar still heard her and understood, though. They had to get out of here and compose themselves. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to hide much longer – and they didn't want to see them like this. It didn't feel right now.

If not completely unnecessary.

They disappeared before the current Queen and Princess could see them. And before they noticed the mountain man, snowman and reindeer male approach their daughters.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The King and Queen could hear the laughter of children and the praise of adults from far away. It only made them hug each other tighter, hoping it would help block the sounds out. Block out anything else that was just too much to handle right now.

"Did you see how she…." Malin couldn't finish. "And _Anna_…."

"I know…." was all Gaspar could say.

"That was….I'd given up, _long _before we…." Malin trailed off again.

"I know," Gaspar repeated.

"They're…._together_," Malin actually finished. "It's like we never kept them….oh Gods…." she exclaimed. "If this…._freeze _really ended when they reunited….and there's been no incidents since….then…."

The implications were too damning for Malin to finish. They were too damning for the King to add any words. Sadly, that was more overwhelming for them than seeing their daughters alive, healthy, happy together and in control again.

But if _that _was the solution all along – the one situation they did everything _not _to try for over a decade – then….

"No," Malin tried desperately to block it out. Otherwise….she didn't know if she'd have the will to do anything else. Neither did her husband.

"All it takes is _one _error to destroy everything. Remember?" Malin reminded Gaspar of his own words from long ago.

"You're right," the King told himself, remembering what _had _to matter. "The gates are open. Weselton is spreading….convincing lies. If they could get a kingdom like the Southern Isles to believe them…..if they haven't already," he betrayed his own ignorance.

But this was a far easier thing for the King and Queen to deal with. This was why they had to be here. This was why they – and everything they had to believe in for 13 years – were still useful to Arendelle and its new rulers. Not….anything else.

"There's still danger here. Especially now," Gaspar assured them both. "If they really are this….then we _truly _can't let them lose it now. We can do that much for them."

"Of course we can," Malin made herself agree. "But how?"

"First we have to see them," Gaspar figured out. "But we can't do it in the middle of their….ceremony. Not in public. We can't put them through that. This needs to happen in private."

"Then we wait until it's over," Malin filled in. "Once everyone is gone….if the gates really _are _open now, we should be able to get in."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took another hour for the crowd to start going home. It took another 20 minutes until Gaspar and Malin steeled themselves to go forward.

Going into the castle meant going through the courtyard, however. That meant actually looking at their daughter's creations by themselves. That meant having the time and privacy to really take it all in.

As they looked up at the tree, and the shining snowflake star floating over it, they were practically hypnotized. Hypnotized with what emotion, they still couldn't define. Or feel brave enough to dare to try. For one reason or another.

While they pushed those emotions out, they also pushed out their awareness of the area around them. Otherwise, they'd notice someone else was watching with them.

"Remarkable, isn't it?" a familiar voice told them. "The princess never doubted it would be. I'm glad the Queen finally didn't."

Gaspar and Malin knew that voice. Knew it better than Elsa's for so many years. "Kai…." the former King voiced before he could take it back.

At that point, he forgot the plan to get into the castle in private. He forgot the need not to let anyone else know they were here yet. He forgot the first familiar faces he should have showed himself to should have been his daughters.

But after everything from tonight, the last three months and the last 13 years, Gaspar couldn't keep himself from getting carried away anymore. As such, he lowered his hood to his former servant before he knew better.

Kai looked puzzled at this stranger – yet the more he looked at him, the more suspicious he became. He hadn't put it together yet, or else he would hardly look this emotionless.

However, it was Malin who remembered their plan for just such an occasion – for their daughters when they found them. But it would work here too.

The royal couple knew that thanks to their 'deaths' no one would immediately think they were the real King and Queen. Especially with Gaspar's beard. It would work to keep them anonymous from crowds and general people – but for people they _wanted _to reveal themselves to, they knew they'd need something else. Details only the real King and Queen would know.

"You started working for Gaspar's parents, a year before they died," Malin started talking as she lowered her hood. "The first words you said to me when Elsa was born was 'Arendelle is blessed, my lady.' Then when Anna was born, you told me, 'Elsa will be so happy to meet her.'"

"Yes, yes!" Gaspar remembered. He added, "The last words you said to me before we left was 'Come back soon, Your Majesty.' I wondered if that was some coded message of concern about Elsa for the first two days of our voyage."

"A part of it was…..I couldn't stand to think about it after you…." Kai finally spoke. Yet he shook his head and told himself, "No, it can't be possible. You're impersonators from Weaseltown! You somehow found the King and Queen's diaries washed up at sea! It has to be…."

"For the first three years of the….separation, you told Elsa about Anna's daily activities," Gaspar revealed. "But you told Gerda you knew you were making it worse for her. You could tell when you heard heavy winds and sobs from behind her door. So you made yourself stop. That's why you only shared the duty of bringing food and books to her room from then on."

"You heard that?" Kai let himself ask.

"Actually, I did. I was wandering after a rough night in the library," Malin added. "I passed it on to Gaspar. Two months later, you were promoted as head servant. We knew it was the very least we could do, but….we had to reward _someone's _kindness and care through everything. It helped remind ourselves that _we _still had some."

Despite how uncomfortable it was to think like that tonight, the King and Queen saw that it did get the job done here. Kai seemed overcome now, which had to mean that he was starting to believe it. "Your….Your Majesty? Your Highness?" he asked.

"Yes, Kai. We're home," Malin said with her first relieved smile of the day. If not much longer than that.

Kai's knees shook, but he was still too proper to completely collapse. Just as he began to fully accept it, and allow himself to feel happiness over it, another voice broke it up.

"Kai, are you coming in?" Gerda said before the group saw her. When she saw the group – and the two people with Kai – she didn't need as much convincing to see who it was.

Also unlike Kai, she couldn't hold back her emotions as well. That was why it took a second for Kai to cover up her screaming mouth.

"Ssh, ssh, ssh! They're not ghosts or Weaseltown actors! It's them," Kai whispered. "Just don't let everyone else know like that!"

"She's right, Gerda," Malin got back to business. "No one other than you two must know we're here. Not until we see…."

"Yes, of course," Kai saw right away. He uncovered Gerda's mouth, yet it let out a quieter scream for a split second. Once Kai uncovered her mouth again, her screaming was actually silent, until she could close her mouth herself.

"Your, Your, Your, Your…." Gerda reopened her mouth. Eventually, she could speak more than one word. "I, we….the Queen and Princess!"

"Exactly," Gaspar agreed. "Bring us into the castle discreetly. If the throne room is empty, let us go in there. Then….please bring our daughters back to us. Alone."


	3. The Royal Reunion

Elsa wasn't that confused about Kai waking her up and telling her she was needed in the throne room. That was one of the more annoying, but common, side effects of being Queen. The puzzling part was that he woke Anna up and told her to come along too.

All Kai would say was that there was something they both needed to see, before he left them at the throne room door. Elsa couldn't make sense of it, and Anna was too sleepy to ask her typical thousand questions.

The only option was to just go in the throne room, have this secret meeting and enjoy their respective six and 12 hours left to sleep. But when they got in, no one else was there waiting for them. Darkness surrounded the actual throne, although no people could be seen with it.

"Hello?" Elsa reached out diplomatically. "I understand you wanted to see us?" Yet no one spoke up to confirm. "Why did you need to see us now instead of tomorrow morning? If there is a….you there?" Elsa still wasn't sure of.

The room remained quiet – and it wasn't eerie just because Anna was there and it was still quiet. Still, after the better than expected night tonight, Elsa wasn't eager to put a damper on it.

If this was a prank, or if someone wanted to meet Elsa and chickened out, she preferred to deal with it tomorrow after a good, triumphant, uninterrupted sleep. As such, she was about ready to turn back, call it a night and question Kai later.

Then she heard a voice.

"The first time we saw you use your powers was when you were six months old," a male voice rang out. "You had a cold, and it took us a few minutes to see your nose was running with snowflakes."

Anna would have laughed at that, if she wasn't too sleepy. And if there wasn't something about that voice.

It continued with, "The first time you lulled Anna to sleep with your powers was when she was four days old. We'd tried to get her to sleep for four hours straight. But you blew a gust of wind all over the room, and she watched it fly until she fell asleep."

Even with more knowledge of her past, Anna didn't remember that. Yet in spite of that event happening 18 1/2 years ago, Elsa did. She had to cling to a lot of happy memories in her early days as a shut in – which then became taunting nightmares.

Either way, she didn't forget. How was it possible that this….voice didn't either? This voice that….

A female voice then chimed in and said, "Anna….you came with me when I supervised and bought countless castle paintings. We watched your favorite Joan of Arc painting get hung up when you were seven. You even ate dinner sitting in front of it that night. You started talking to it about a week later."

Before Elsa could finally ask how she knew that, the female voice added, "I stayed in the library every night for two weeks after that. None of you knew, of course. Even now, you don't know how I exhausted myself reading about cures and potions and solutions….to no avail. But if I can't tell you now…."

"Why _would_ you tell us?" Elsa barely overcame her fear, anxiety and other undefinable emotions to ask. "Who are you?"

"Our ship sunk at sea," the male voice spoke again. "Thrill seekers from an island found our floating bodies in time. We had no memories for over three years. We had no way home for three more months. But that's not important now."

The woman voiced, "Our last memories _here _were of a hug. A curtsy. A promise to be home in two weeks. And how Elsa looked back at us before we disappeared….even as she tried to leave before Anna noticed."

No one could have known that. Not even Anna saw her look back.

"Or how Anna whispered '_We'll_ miss you,' when she hugged me."

Anna only told Elsa she said that during a particularly grueling night four months ago. There was no chance Elsa told anyone else. There was no chance no one else heard Anna whisper that day.

There was only one answer that….couldn't possibly make sense. It couldn't. They couldn't let themselves….

None of them noticed the growing frost in the room – not even the one making it. All they saw was two figures finally coming out of the shadows. Two figures coming into the light.

One of which covered up his longer beard seconds later.

Now there was no denying it any more.

Believing it was still another matter. So was being able to breathe.

The breaths that the sisters could take came in deep, jagged spurts. It made it impossible for them to speak any words. Or keep their bodies from shaking. Which had nothing to do with the ice forming in every corner of the room.

Yet the cold didn't bother anyone. Not even their mother and father. They were too busy taking their first close look at their daughters in three-and-a-half years. Soon, they had trouble breathing and composing themselves as well.

The more they looked, the more they looked….real to their daughters. The more this felt real. The more they could dare to truly believe….

The moment Elsa began to dare, the ice started melting instantly. Then it hardened back up when her anxiety went up, as it all really hit her. When the good part of it hit her, the ice melted all over again.

Off and on the ice hardened and melted, as the King and Queen got closer and Elsa went back and forth between anxiety and love. However, she still dared to hold her hand up and reach for her father, although her bare hand was trembling the entire time.

It was Gaspar who took his glove off, slowly reaching out until his bare finger touched hers.

It was all either of them could take.

The ice melted for good when Gaspar caught Elsa before she collapsed into his arms. She began shaking and half-sobbing almost uncontrollably, yet her father held her tight the whole way.

"Anna…." Malin got a shaking Anna's attention away from her sister and….

That was all she could take too.

Anna was able to get her arms around her mother before she shook and cried. Elsa's arms were still being kept to herself, but Gaspar loosened up and finally gave her room to hug back.

Still, her arms very carefully went around her father – like she didn't know how to do it.

Because she didn't. Not with him. Or her.

"I'm _hugging my_…." Elsa spoke at last. She'd gone over half her life without touching him. Without letting him hold her. Without letting _either _of them hold her. And now….

None of them could take it anymore.

Malin rushed to share in the hug with Elsa, somehow keeping Anna in the middle of it. Eventually, Gaspar made himself let Elsa go so Malin could embrace her by herself. This helped Gaspar do the same for Anna.

None of them were capable of speaking words. Only gasps and tears. It was only in her mother's arms that Elsa could even begin to stop shivering – although no ice or frost was forming around them.

It ended with Gaspar pulling Elsa in to hug both his daughters at once. Malin embraced them from the back - as all four of them wished they never had to move an inch again.

But when Elsa and Anna could start breathing normally and keep their bodies still, Gaspar loosened his grip. Malin backed away in short order, and the four of them began the process of finding their voices again.

Elsa, for some reason she couldn't fathom, found hers first. "How did you…..wait, you already said," she remembered. "But _how_…."

"It's not worth going over anymore," Malin exclaimed. "Not after this…."

"How long have you…." Elsa got half a question out, to her surprise.

"Since this afternoon," Gaspar understood enough to answer. "We've already seen a lot since then."

"You _saw _my…..you were _there_," Elsa somewhat completed her sentence. "Then….then you _know_. What happened…._then_."

"We've only read the official Weselton account of it," Gaspar informed. "We managed to debunk most of it since we got here."

"No matter. We have plenty of time to hear the true version," Malin praised. "We actually have time…." she was nearly overwhelmed.

"Yes….there's no need to go into that off the bat," Elsa agreed. "And the most important thing is the ending. I'm in control, Anna's here...and I haven't worn the gloves in months," she cheered while holding up her hands.

"In a row?" Gaspar asked. "Not even in public events? Do you, do you go to those now?"

"You just saw one of them," Elsa still reflected on with a big smile – despite feeling a little tiny knot inside now.

"Your father has a point," Malin backed up. "Not having gloves for a fun holiday show is one thing. But at official meetings and negotiations, your partners need to feel completely reassured. Especially if there really is…one less partner these days."

"Two, actually," Elsa automatically corrected. "The Southern Isles isn't too close with us now either."

"What?" Gaspar asked. "Them _and _Weselton? The man on the street didn't tell us that!"

"There are two wealthy nations against us….and the gates were still open after the show," Malin remembered. "Why was that?"

"Well, we kind of have a….gates open at all times policy now," Elsa explained – ignoring the official and somewhat unsettling tone this reunion had taken.

"All right, all right," Gaspar said right away. "Maybe it's not so bad. If Weselton _and _the Southern Isles used open gates to send spy networks into Arendelle, they couldn't have grown that fast."

"Prime Minister Van Garrett has brought up the issue at least once a week," Elsa offered, feeling a familiar need to calm her father, and assure him she hadn't gotten too out of hand.

"Tomas is Prime Minister now?" Gaspar focused on instead.

"Yes, he was elected the year after you….left," Elsa answered, almost wanting them to get back on that topic. Or any one that would revive the happier memories from a few minutes ago.

Then again, it's not like Elsa knew anything about how to spark happy memories with her parents. This serious, damage control stuff….it was really all they knew together.

As much as that should have depressed Elsa, it's not like she knew how to change it. Her and Anna never worked on how to rebuild _that._

"He's a good man," Gaspar went on about the Prime Minister. "We'll need him to help contain this storm. If we still can."

"Contain?" Elsa barely liked that word better than other c words. Yet she couldn't exactly say that. Not here and now.

"We need to show nations that they have nothing to fear. Putting the gloves on for every official event can help," Gaspar reasoned. "Once that undercuts the propaganda, Weselton and the Southern Isles can do more favorable business with us again. Then once we're more careful about who comes in here, and when, there'll be nothing to worry about."

"It makes sense," Malin agreed. "You went over the top as a proportional response to your….freeze. I understand that, we both do. Now we can modify tactics, take proper precautions, and make sure that everything you have now can't be taken away."

Elsa was a little numb, overwhelmed, and really just eager to move on. But….if agreeing to admittedly reasonable compromises would make them happy, she supposed she owed them that much. After all, they just got back.

Plus they ruled Arendelle much longer than she had, under much more dire circumstances. So they had more experience in crisis management. Given that this management prevented Elsa from freezing a kingdom until she was 21…..maybe it could help her prevent spy invasions and war too. Then they'd truly be free to enjoy being together again.

Maybe just easing into certain things was the proper way to go after all.

"Get away from her."

Where did that come from? Elsa didn't do anything to make them that upset. She knew she didn't, she couldn't…..

Wait. That certainly didn't sound like Father. Or even Mother.

"Anna?"

In all this time, Anna hadn't spoken a single word since they got here. Or since their parents reappeared. And….those four words were what she spoke up with? Who was she saying it to?

Mother and Father looked pretty stunned. Did….did Anna tell _them _to….

"Anna, what are you saying?" Gaspar asked. The only answer he got at first was….the most frightening frown Elsa had ever seen on Anna. Which was only mildly frightening at best by regular standards. But on Anna, it was incredibly unsettling.

But not nearly as much as her next words – which were certainly aimed at the parents she hadn't seen in three years. The parents she learned much more about in the last six months than ever before.

Now at long last, that knowledge made her voice this conclusion out loud.

"You took Elsa from me."

And that wasn't all.

"I lost my best friend….the _only _friend I had my whole life….because of _you_."

"Anna….you don't understand," Gaspar tried to salvage this – using the worst possible phrase.

"I understand everything now. I still don't _remember _it, but I know everything," Anna shared. "I know why you kept her away. I know why she thought she had to stay away. I know you thought you were saving me, and her….but that's the _last _thing you did to us."

"Anna, please…" Malin tried to save face, to no avail.

"Do you _know _what you did to us?!" Anna snapped. "Do you know _why _the Great Freeze happened?! The real truth?! Because none of us knew the first thing about love! Because _you_ took it away from us!"

Just when Elsa could make herself object, Anna stopped her. "_That's _why I wanted to marry a prince I just met! From the Southern Isles! That's what made Elsa lose control and run away! That's why I didn't know that prince wanted to _kill_ her! That's why him _and_ Weaseltown almost killed her! That's why I _actually _died!"

"That can't be right…." Gaspar denied.

"I'm sorry, but it is. I _died_," Anna voiced, filling all three of her family members with pain. "You _wasted _our last 10 years together. Trying to stop something that happened anyway. I still _froze_. And Elsa still saved my life. _And _she stopped the winter. Because she still _loves _me. You made me think she hated me, but she _loves _me! And I love her! And _that's _what you _never _understood!"

"Now wait just a minute…." Gaspar got defensive. It was the emotion that gave him the best chance to stay upright. If only for a little while longer.

"Love will thaw," Anna said in response. "That was the answer all along. Even after all that, Elsa still had _so much _love in her heart, it fixed everything. It's still fixing everything. We both lost most of our lives because you didn't know that years ago."

"You think we didn't love you?" Malin hissed in shock and anger.

"You _feared _her more! And look what it did to her!" Anna rose right back. "I could have let go what it did to me. But what it did to Elsa….what it _still _does to her sometimes….even when she thinks I can't hear her crying? Because it still takes so much just to make herself feel and share _anything_? And she still tries so hard anyway?"

"Anna…." Elsa finally tried to speak. Or do anything other than feel paralyzed.

"No, they need to know! _You _need to know!" Anna objected. She then went back to addressing and informing their parents.

"Elsa is the most loving, kind hearted, brave, strong, caring, _good _person in the whole world," Anna expressed honestly. "And you let her think she was nothing but a monster. You let her think she couldn't feel or deserve love. Part of her still feels that way _every day_! And she fights it off because she's so brave, even if she _still _thinks she's a coward!

"_That's _what you did to her! What you let her do to herself! You don't do that to someone you love!" Anna insisted. "I forgot what love was until six months ago, and even I know that! You don't….." her anger finally gave way to sadness, as she emotionally asked, "Why didn't you trust me?"

"That's not it…." Malin struggled to show her.

"I could have stayed away. If you gave me a _choice_. A _chance_," Anna pleaded. "I could have stayed in the halls, if that what she wanted. I just wanted to _talk _to her….a few words a day, just to know she still loved me. So she'd know I loved her….that's all we would have needed. Just knowing we weren't alone and someone believed in us….it would have solved everything. And you _never _considered it."

"How could we?" Gaspar needed everyone to believe.

"That's right," Anna answered, but not in the way Gaspar did. "You let a wonderful person….your own daughter….hate and fear herself all her life. You let your other daughter stay so ignorant and naïve….she would have married a murdering prince. You were so afraid, you took away the only thing that made us both happy, when it would have saved us all! So yeah, you're right….how could you?"

Getting back into angry mode, Anna added, "And now….you come back and you make her scared all over again? You know what? How _dare _you."

"Anna, you don't understand…." Gaspar clung to as desperately as he could.

"And whose fault is that?!" Anna exploded. "You know what, I don't care about that. The only people who ever loved me _lied _to me _every day_ for a decade. Kept me from my best friend in the whole world. But that doesn't matter."

"Why not?" Malin attempted to hope against hope for a good answer.

"Because what you did to Elsa? What you let happen to her? What she's still fighting to get over every day? What she's only getting over _because _she's so wonderful and she barely even_ knows _it?! It's, it's…." Anna searched for a big enough word in her vocabulary, and settled on, "Unforgivable!"

Now that she had the right word and emotion, Anna really ran with it. "I will _never _forgive you! And if all you're gonna do is make her doubt herself all over again, then you can just leave her alone! Just leave us _both _alone!"

"Anna, stop it!" Elsa spoke out of anger, panic, and other emotions that had to be….hidden right now.

To block them out and make her stop, she stomped her foot and made the floor below Anna turn to ice. It was just meant to get her attention and stop her ranting, but it also made Anna slip and fall too.

"Anna!" Elsa snapped out of it herself. Her mother and father weren't so easily unfrozen, though. In a very small way, they were seeing their nightmare come to life – Elsa hurting Anna, even by accident. Even if she just had a slip and fall.

Yet instead of running away in fear and containing herself, Elsa ran over to Anna. As she did, the ice instantly thawed and melted away. Anna was sitting on the floor, a bit woozy, yet Elsa instantly kneeled in front of her and checked for any other wounds.

When she couldn't find any, Elsa hugged Anna in relief. She didn't blame herself or hide in fear. She hugged the sister she hurt and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," without hesitation.

But Anna wasn't hurt by that. In fact, her little fall made her think a lot more clearly. And the more she did, the more terrible she felt.

The first words she said to her beloved, not dead parents in three years was….all that? Now that she actually thought about it – albeit far too late….

"Oh God, what did I do?" Anna asked herself more than Elsa. She got up and saw her parents, which only made it worse. "I was so out of line….I'm so sorry….." she said emotionally.

The more she could go over her words, the more ashamed, bratty and ungrateful she felt. Then she went over them again and switched sides once more.

"But I shouldn't be…..that stuff needed to be said," Anna believed again. "You hurt us so much, long before you died! And you let us suffer on purpose! How can I let that go? Especially now that I can call you out on it? You can't make us _conceal _again!"

Switching emotions again, Anna realized, "But….but you did it to protect us. Maybe she _would _have lost control a lot earlier if you didn't. And it was my fault for making her play so much anyway…."

Angry Anna returned right then, yelling, "But _nothing _I did hurt more than what _you _did! If you don't know that, you _should _stay away from her! I'm not gonna let you hide her away from me, or anyone, ever again!"

Reasonable Anna returned to say, "What am I saying? We just got you back…._that's _what matters….what am I doing?"

Then the Annas went back and forth with, "You came back _after _you ruined us! But you're back….but you destroyed our childhood….but you didn't mean to…..but you did! What you did to Elsa…but she's still so great anyway…..but she should have known all along….but I'm not the one who should yell at you for that! But _someone_ should! No they shouldn't! They, they…."

At last, Gaspar made a move towards Anna as she cringed and broke down. Yet Anna cringed even deeper and yelled, "Don't touch me!" turning her back and holding herself in a….terrifyingly familiar way to all those who watched.

"I don't want to yell at you. Or hate you," Anna whispered, terrifying and hurting everyone else all the more. But not more than herself. "But part of me….and I know it's not fair….even if it kind of is…."

That was finally all Anna could take. "I can't be around you. Not right now. I need to, to…." she couldn't finish. For the first time in her life, she was so sick and tired of talking and sharing.

All she could do was run out of the throne room. And try to hold back her louder sobs until she reached the safety of her bedroom.

Elsa, Gaspar and Malin were far less equipped to move. They all knew they should go over and comfort Anna – but two of them hadn't done it in years, and the other barely knew how. And barely knew if Anna was that much in the wrong for what she said.

As much as Elsa thought and believed every single word Anna said for so long – that was before _this_. Yet knowing Anna felt the same way too, and just couldn't hold it in as long - which was typically Anna, even if her words and anger weren't…..

Which she only resorted to because Elsa was….doing what she would have _before_….after just five minutes with them….

"I have to…." Elsa started, but couldn't finish. She had to go before she couldn't trust herself around them either. At this point, she probably couldn't trust herself around anyone.

This should have made her run to her room too. To hide herself away. It's what she always did when _they _were in this castle.

But for the first time in so long, Elsa wouldn't hide herself from Anna while their parents were here. She could do that much.

Unlike her shell shocked, cut to the emotional bone parents, Elsa knew what she had to do next. Go to Anna.


	4. Overdue Comfort

**Thanks to my 130+ followers from just three chapters**

Anna hadn't really cried in her sleep since her parents were….merely lost at sea. Doing it after what happened tonight seemed fitting, in a way. If only she could get to the sleep part anytime soon.

Of course, she'd probably just have nightmares about what a horrible daughter she was. Flashbacks and waking nightmares weren't much better, but she figured she'd get used to it soon. She probably had the rest of her life to do it.

Anna then wondered if she dreamed hearing those knocks on her door – and whether she should wish she was. "It's me, not them," she then heard Elsa say.

Well, why not be reminded of how Anna was the worst sister in the world too?

She let out a few more sobs, which wasn't an open invitation for Elsa to come in. But it wasn't a no, either. Now that Elsa had broken the habit of ignoring Anna's tears, she was able to come in.

Anna could only turn the volume down as she still sobbed into her pillow. She couldn't look at Elsa, though she felt her sitting beside her on the bed. Since Elsa was likely here to scold her, Anna figured it might hurt less if she got a head start.

"I'm the worst person in the world," she admitted into the pillow. "_I _should be locked up for 13 years now."

"I almost killed you twice. I'm not the best judge," Elsa poorly tried to joke. It wasn't her area of expertise, and it was pretty awkward timing to try here, but she had nothing else right now.

"Any other judge would agree with me. I mean….what kind of person _yells_ at their parents, after they turn out to be not dead?" Anna asked, not looking for an answer in any way.

Yet Elsa gave it with, "If you didn't, the gates would probably be closed right now. So you did _something _right," admitting her own reason for guilt.

However, all it did was remind Anna she had _some _right to say what she said – which neither sister felt comforted by. "Ugh, this would be _so _much easier if I _didn't _know that already," Anna groaned.

"You're not alone on that," Elsa confessed, despite how the choice of words was uneasily ironic.

"I just….I thought of everything you said to them six months ago….and how you were acting with them tonight anyway….and I lost it," Anna said, slowly gathering herself up to look at Elsa. "At least you said bad stuff about them to a picture. I said it to their not dead _faces_."

"This would be so much easier if I could be mad at you for that," Elsa nearly echoed Anna. "But I can't. If you didn't say it, I might have. But only _after _I went back to…._then_. If I was lucky."

"Are you trying to make me feel like the good guy here?" Anna asked. "I really want to forget that I _still_ kind of feel like it. So I don't know if you're helping…."

Elsa put her head down just as Anna finally got hers up. Trying to help, Elsa attempted to think carefully – if that was at all possible for something like this.

"Let's keep this in mind…." Elsa reasoned. "They left when I still had to be concealed. They were gone for three years, and apparently they've only had their memory back for three months. Hiding me and my powers, and hiding Arendelle, is all they know. Like how hiding was all I knew until six months ago. And it's _still _a struggle for me!"

"I kinda explained how more than I should have," Anna admitted. "That was your stuff to admit, not mine. I know it's all true, though. Even when you were in your room, yelling at yourself to feel and open up to me, I could hear you."

"I gathered that," Elsa said. "In a way, I guess I _was_ opening up to you then."

"And you still do now. I mean, you're _here_. Just getting that much is still incredible to me," Anna confessed. "You've been fighting so hard to be a better sister _and _a better Queen, I know you have. That shouldn't be ruined by anyone. Whether they mean to or know better or not."

"Well….I might not have to work on the Queen part much longer," Elsa dared to address the other elephant in the room. "Anna, they're alive. The old King and Queen are alive. I'm only the Queen because they were declared dead. Now that they aren't…."

"Oh….oh, no. No, no, no!" Anna finally showed something resembling her old fire. "They can't do that! Did they tell you they were doing that?"

"No, but they'll have to soon," Elsa realized. "When everyone else finds out they're alive tomorrow, they'll celebrate a lot more than we have. And then they'll want them back on the throne. They have a good case even without their support."

"No they don't! _You're_ Queen! Arendelle loves you now!" Anna needed Elsa to know.

"Given the choice between two beloved monarchs who aren't dead, and a queen who hasn't almost frozen them to death in six months….it'll be an easy choice for the people," Elsa figured.

"Yeah, for you!" Anna still clung to. "You think they'll want a leader who _can't_ make 50 foot Christmas trees every year? You spoiled them too much for that! Just watch!"

"Maybe I shouldn't," Elsa thought over. "I mean….they are the rightful rulers of Arendelle. They have more experience than me. And their record as leaders is much better than their records as parents."

"They were gonna talk you into closing the gates! That's not good leading _or _parenting!" Anna felt more comfortable criticizing them again.

"I think you already talked them out of it. And once they get used to being more open rulers….I won't have to be Queen anymore. And then….being Queen won't get in the way of me being a sister again," Elsa thought on the bright side for once.

She looked to Anna with rare hope, recounting, "You know how hard it was to find time with you at first. You obviously heard how scared I was of letting you down again. If we're both just princesses again, that won't have to happen anymore."

It was such an unthinkable, seductive and suddenly plausible fantasy, Elsa was getting swept away. "No more time consuming meetings, no more debates with Van Garrett, no more _paperwork_….if they're in charge again, we can focus on just _us_. We can be _sisters _first. We can be a real, _whole _family."

After dreaming of this in one way or another for so long, Anna was just about ready to agree. It _would_ get her mind off semi-hating her alive parents for semi-good, semi-horrible reasons. And having Elsa all to herself was never a bad argument to make.

After 13 years apart, and six months of sharing Elsa with Queen stuff, just being princesses together with no greater responsibilities…..sure had its appeal. It was everything Anna ever hoped for. And if she ever worked things out with her parents, it would be everything she stopped dreaming of three years ago too.

Anna could have it all….

But only if Elsa didn't.

Darn her brain for getting all conflicted again. At least this time it was for a 100 percent good reason, though.

"No!" Anna yelled before she changed her mind. "No!" she repeated again, as it really sunk in why she had to say no. "No," she said much more firmly, unwilling or unable to change her mind now.

"No?" Elsa asked with much more confusion. "Anna, it'd be everything you ever wanted."

"_I _wanted," Anna stressed. "But it's not all _you _want. You want to be Queen. You want to be the _best _Queen, so everyone will know how good you really are. So no one will ever think you're a monster again – including you. You _should _have that! You've been getting it for six months! They have _no _right to take it from you now!"

"Legally, they'd have a case," Elsa pointed out again.

"Forget legally! You _are _the rightful ruler of Arendelle! You're a better ruler than they ever were! You _learned _from their mistakes! They still haven't!" Anna concluded. "Arendelle deserves the best Queen ever….and that _is _you. _Please _start believing that….I mean, you worked so hard and gave up so much to do it, you gotta by now!"

"I never wanted that…." Elsa insisted, her resolve still weakening nonetheless.

"Yes you did. It was the only thing that kept you going….since it couldn't be me. I know that," Anna admitted. "After everything you went through to be an amazing Queen….you can't give it up now. It's not fair to Arendelle, and it's _really _not fair to you. And it's time things _stopped _being so unfair for you."

"Even if it means we can't be together….as much as we'd both like?" Elsa had to make sure.

"Elsa, I've been without you for 13 years. A few days at a time is nothing!" Anna tried to scoff. "I want all the time in the world with you, of course! But I don't want to be that selfish. All I really wanted all that time was to know you….still cared about me. That I _wasn't_ alone. You've done _so_ _much _to show me I'm not, no matter how hard it's been for you….I couldn't ask for anything more."

"You should," Elsa still had to tell her.

"Yeah, probably," Anna had to admit. "But now that I finally know the _real _you….I can live with sharing her with Arendelle. Everyone should know her, anyway. And love her as much as I know she loves me now. That should be enough for _all_ of us."

Yet just when Anna brightened up again, one dark thought was all it took to bring her back down. "The only thing I _couldn't_ live with is….seeing you turn back into….like I thought I saw tonight…." Although a few words were missing in that sentence, Elsa could fill them in.

"I guess it's all I know how to be around them," Elsa sighed and confessed. "Maybe the longer they're here, the better it'll get."

"What if it doesn't?" Anna asked, thinking of the worst case scenario for once. It made her water up and admit, "I don't want them back if it means losing you again. The real you."

"If I slipped back into _that _with them….who knows if that's still the real me? Especially if I was going to give up the throne…." Elsa dreaded. "Maybe six months _wasn't_ long enough to change."

"If it's not, then we're not really a _whole _family again, are we? We never have been," Anna wondered out loud. "I've either had them and lost you, lost them _and _you, or lost them and got you back. What if I have to lose you to get them back? Or I have to lose them to keep you? That's how the pattern's worked so far…."

Anna found herself slipping back into tears. Yet before she buried them into her pillow again, Elsa had her lie her head on her shoulder first. She then laid down on Anna's bed, with Anna resting next to her and trying not to cry too hard on her sister.

"I won't let it work again," Elsa vowed. "I _promise_ it won't. No matter what they do."

"I'm so tired…." Anna whispered. "I don't wanna think like this anymore. I just wanna forget for a little while. But after tomorrow…." She tried not to sound pathetic before she asked, "Can….can you stay here tonight? In case…."

"I'm not going anywhere," Elsa promised, and not just for tonight.

"I don't know if I can sleep, though. I'll try not to keep you up that much too," Anna attempted to promise back.

"Well….maybe there's a way we can both ease into sleep," Elsa thought. "I know music helps you during sad times. I kind of learned how that worked recently."

"I don't know if one of Mom's lullabies would help," Anna feared.

"Then I'll fix up one of yours," Elsa offered. Anna couldn't remember making up any lullabies – until Elsa started singing quietly. And with very familiar lyrics – albeit tampered with.

_"Anna? Please, you know I'm right here. You don't have to ask where I've been,"_ Elsa sang lovingly.

"You….you remember that part of the song…." Anna barely believed.

"It would have been easier back then if I didn't. But it is now," Elsa said, pulling Anna in extra close.

Feeling the nicest tears she'd felt all night, Anna laid her head down and got carried away by Elsa's gentle, loving, incredibly overdue words of song. Especially _this _song, right now.

_"I have my courage, because of you. I'm right here for you, so please come innnn…."_ Elsa invited. Anna settled in further by closing her eyes, letting Elsa's soothing singing voice live up to 13 1/2 years of waiting.

_"We don't just have each other. But it's still me and you. Here's what we're going to doooo…." _Elsa left hanging. Although she was trying to make Anna sleep, however, she still nudged her to open her eyes. Then she could watch Elsa make something small and recognizable appear in her hand.

_"Do you wanna build a snowman?"_ Elsa sung to Anna and the tiny six inch snowman in the palm of her hand.

_"It doesn't have to be a snowman," _Anna sung softly, taking the snowman into her hand anyway.

Elsa froze the little snowman over, allowing Anna to keep it in her hands as she closed her eyes again. At that point, all Elsa had to do was hum her revised lyrics, lulling Anna into a peaceful world where she didn't love and hate her living parents, or fear the future. Not for a few precious hours, anyway.

A few moments later, Elsa eagerly joined her sister – without an ounce of hesitation or doubt. For a few precious hours, anyway.

The sisters laid in bed together peacefully, oblivious to the rest of their complicated, thorny, deeply scarred waking world. But they didn't need to be asleep to ignore it.

In fact, they'd been oblivious for some time to Gaspar and Malin watching them from the barely open bedroom door. They got there right around the part where Anna said Elsa denounced them six months ago. In so many words.

The struggle to not say anything was a hard one, yet they finally won. But aside from not bothering them, or waking them up as they slept, Gaspar and Malin didn't feel like they won anything. They hadn't since the minute Elsa's ice show started.

Since then, every decision they'd made, every word they'd said, every belief they clung to, was a poor attempt to push away the full weight of 13 years of mistakes. The only time it really felt like it worked was during their first – if not last – family hug.

And the second before Anna spoke and shattered them all over again.

They almost wished they'd stayed shattered, instead of finding the strength to spy on their daughter's emotional conversation. _Almost_.

Because when they weren't rubbing in the horrible truth of what their parents let happen, they were fulfilling every dream, distant hope and abandoned promise they'd ever had for their daughters.

Which only made the horrible truth of why they didn't come true before terrify them all over again.

Since the moment the ice show started, Gaspar and Malin knew they couldn't face that truth. Otherwise, there was no possible way they could maintain the will to live with themselves. No parent could. No real human could either.

Their own daughter let herself believe she was a monster, because they weren't brave or loving enough to really stop it. But she wasn't raised by monsters. Supposedly.

It was a too human feeling of crushing, shameful guilt that made Gaspar step from Anna's door and say, "We have no place here."

"On the throne?" Malin was afraid to ask.

"Anywhere," Gaspar confirmed her fears. "The Arendelle that needed us is no more. The….daughters that needed us are no more. This is a new world, with new rulers that….are better off without us. We don't know how to live in a world like that."

"Leaving aside how true it is…." Malin gathered herself - lest she agree with him too much to avoid screaming and waking her daughters up. "Are you saying we should just run away? Abandon them all over again?"

"They're not abandoned anymore!" Gaspar hissed. "Look at them! We gave up thinking that could ever happen again! And now look at them!"

"I want to look so bad…." Malin nearly glanced at her sleeping daughters, snuggled up together. "I'm afraid I'll never stop crying if I do. For so many good and terrible reasons…." She barely stayed steady enough to finish, "That can't be the way this ends. It just can't be…."

"It may be a just punishment. We can't ignore that any longer," Gaspar conceded. "All we can do is damage control. That's all we've ever been good at for 13 years. And we were so terrible at that too."

"Yes we were….but not anymore," Malin made herself believe. "Running away, taking the easy way out, shutting ourselves off…._that's _what made all this happen. And now we're going to try what doesn't work all over again?"

"Do you see a better option?" Gaspar asked semi-sarcastically.

"Whichever one doesn't end with us leaving our daughters again. Whichever one has us forging _some _kind of relationship with them," Malin declared. "We weren't creative or strong enough to do it before. If there's a lesson to learn here that we can live with, it's that we can't be that weak again. The only way to avoid that is to stay and fight. To remember how."

"And _do _you remember how to do that?" Gaspar asked. "We didn't know how then. So how can we in this new world?"

"We'll learn how. We'll find a place in their lives, and in this kingdom. Whether we accept our crowns back or not," Malin vowed.

"Even if we don't take them back….once the rest of Arendelle knows we're alive, we'll never get a moment's peace with them. And we need so many of them," Gaspar said. "They're going to look to us for leadership, whether we still want it or not. Leaving aside how we know more about being servants than monarchs nowadays!"

Malin didn't answer, so Gaspar figured he won that one. It was only his sixth most hollow victory of the day. However, Malin was far from conceding.

In fact, she was thinking harder and better than she might have been in years. At least as Malin.

Not counting her years as Idina. And his as Maurice…..

"You're right. We do know more as servants. And only four people know we're still alive right now…." Malin set up.

"How do those two things go together?" Gaspar needed to clarify.

"We have about six hours before the rest of the castle wakes up. We'll need about three hours to flesh out this idea," Malin said without explaining what the idea was. "Hopefully it'll take just one after that to get everyone else on board."

"Can you try to get me on board first?" Gaspar couldn't keep up.

"I'll try," Malin agreed. "If it sounds as good coming out of my mouth, it'll be the kind of bold, creative idea we never tried years ago. Maybe that's a good sign right there."

After 13 1/2 years, they were due to get one of those.

Maybe.


	5. The Second Reunion

Kai hadn't taken orders from the King and Queen in over three-and-a-half years. However, he was finding himself back in the habit right away. It filled him with both joy and apprehension – albeit not even close to what their daughters must have felt. Especially if what he heard about their reunion was true.

In any case, this night truly took him back. Orders carried out with great secrecy. Constructing elaborate, complicated cover stories that bordered on outright lies. Not to mention the little pang of guilt when he thought about what those plans would bring onto Elsa and Anna.

He felt that guilt even stronger when he had to carry out his next secret order. Wake Elsa and Anna up from their peaceful sleep together.

It was necessary, so that they could hear the King and Queen's plan and approve it, while they still had time. Kai knew that much – just as he knew how necessary it was to keep Elsa contained all these years.

It didn't mean that pang of guilt wasn't there. Or that it _really_ wasn't there the longer he saw them slumber now. At peace with themselves, together and united, and safe from all the complicated, terrible, heart wrenching things they must have felt all night – and would for many more nights to come, it would seem.

Once he woke them up, they would be safe from it no more. Whether they'd come out of it still together and united….Kai had no idea. He wondered if the King and Queen had any real idea. In his heart of hearts, he knew but wouldn't say that this wasn't the first time he thought that in over 13 years.

As much as that heart pang wanted to leave the current Queen and Princess be, for just a moment or two longer…..the loyal servant in him won out. As it always had when it came to the King and Queen's orders concerning their daughters.

No matter what that pang told him every other sleepless night back then. Or what it might tell him in the days and weeks to come.

Regardless, he knocked on the nearest bureau and woke the current Queen and Princess up, as ordered. Elsa, as always, stirred awake much easier. "Kai….what time is it?" Elsa asked quietly.

"4 a.m., Your Highness. I'm sorry to wake you, but…." Kai stopped, needing to choose his words carefully. "Your mother and father request your presence in the throne room. Yours and the Princess."

Elsa looked calm and unmoved, although over 13 years of training likely made it that way. "Tell them we'll talk to them in the morning. Later in the morning," she answered. "I think we all need more sleep first. Especially them, before the people learn they're alive." she figured – forgetting all about where they might sleep. Or what became of their old room.

"That's just it. They're not planning to tell them they're alive," Kai informed. "They have a….different plan to reintegrate themselves into Arendelle. But they need to go over it with you and the Princess first. Before everyone else wakes up."

"A different plan? What on Earth does that mean?" Elsa said,  
in a less than queenly manner. She would blame the early hours and difficult sleep on it, if she didn't have other concerns.

"I'm sorry, but that's more for the King and Queen….former King and Queen….to explain," Kai briefly stumbled over. "I understand the last time I kept their plans secret tonight….didn't go over well. I'm sorry I didn't do more to warn you then. Or the Princess."

"It's not your fault, Kai," Elsa assured. "I almost wish it was completely theirs," she couldn't help but admit – on many levels. Resigning herself, she got out of bed and told Kai, "Tell them we'll be there as soon as we can."

"I will, my Queen," Kai settled on that as his gesture of solidarity. Elsa nodded, with the briefest and smallest of smiles before Kai took his leave. But as quick as it came, it disappeared when Elsa knew what she had to do next.

"Anna?" she called out before turning around – and seeing Anna was already opening her eyes. "How much did you hear?" Elsa wondered.

"I caught the different plan part," Anna said, then said more meekly, "There's no way you could….go there and fill me in when you get back? Right?"

"If I could, I would," Elsa answered. "But going into something big without you….I don't want to give them the wrong idea."

This at least got Anna to sit up, although she still looked troubled. "Should I tell them I'm sorry? I did before, but then I…..maybe if I meant it more…."

"You don't have to say anything," Elsa told her. "Unless they say sorry first, I don't want you to say it again. That's a direct order."

"You were really gonna miss those if you gave up the throne, huh?" Anna actually joked like normal.

"Well, I still have my direct big sister orders to fill the gap. They were always more powerful anyway," Elsa found herself getting swept into playing along with Anna, even now.

"Speak for yourself," Anna stated. "This may be the first meeting I actually stay still and quiet for. Better late than never, huh?" she made light of. "I guess now_ I'm_ the one who's gonna do the whole 'conceal, don't feel' bit, huh?" she almost laughed, until her words actually hit her.

"Elsa, I…." Anna felt ashamed. "I didn't mean to….I mean, if this is how you felt every day for 13 years…." She quickly frowned, then scolded herself, "No, _don't _get mad at them!"

Before Elsa knew it, she was grabbing Anna's hands to calm her down. The formerly unthinkable irony behind that almost crushed the both of them, and made them proud at the same time. Just one more conflicting pair of emotions on this night.

"You don't have to say anything," Elsa promised. "But I can't….I _won't _face them without you by my side. And I expect you to stay by my side and talk my ear off once it's over. That's a big sister _and _Queen order."

For someone who didn't like orders, these were still the best ones Anna ever got – and the one order she was determined to follow all the way. "Yes, Your Majesty," Anna showed her solidarity, although squeezing the Queen's hands back helped too.

"Good," Elsa breathed her relief. "Now then….let's get ready and head to my throne room."

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It took two minutes for Elsa and Anna to make themselves presentable again, two more to get themselves out of Anna's room, and another two to get to the throne room door. Another 30 seconds passed, as they saw how they were _both_ nervous and uncertain to knock on a closed door – although it did fuel Elsa to finally knock anyway.

"We're ready," they heard Kai, not their mother or father, say behind the door. Nevertheless, the sisters opened the door and returned to the site of the royal reunion.

The minute they did, they saw their father get up from Elsa's throne – his old throne – and walk closer to them. Their mother was by his side, and now Elsa and Anna could see Kai and Gerda at a distance as well.

Elsa and Anna stopped when they were still a distance away from their parents as well. Neither pair now had the courage to come closer to each other. Yet Elsa put her hand into Anna's and stood right by her side, speaking volumes to the pair in front of them.

It was Anna whose vast emotional tempest and storm was calmed by a loving presence this time. Elsa was still in her more traditional role of looking unemotional and regal – which was both easier and much harder to do in this situation. Nevertheless, there wasn't a trace of frost or snowflakes in the room.

As much as the sisters wanted to hug, yell, talk, apologize and scream at their parents – then hug them again - they did nothing except wait for them to make the first move. At last, Gaspar did.

"We have no idea what we're doing," he admitted. "I don't expect any of us do. This is a….uncharted and unbearably complicated situation. One none of us were ever truly prepared for."

"There's only one thing we've figured out," Malin picked up. "We can't solve it by jumping back in and becoming King and Queen again. We're not qualified for it. Or qualified to deal with life in this….new Arendelle. But we need to be."

"Malin - your mother…." Gaspar said to both his daughters, in the same room, for the first time since he could remember – even with his memory back. Yet he regrouped and continued, "She realized we need another way to fit back in. After talking between us, and talking with Kai and Gerda….we think we've fleshed out an idea that could work."

"But we won't try it until we run it by you. The _both_ of you," Malin stressed. "And we'll only do it if you _both _agree to it. Do you agree now?"

It was a small start, anyway – they both appreciated that. Anna almost wanted to ask if they agreed with the plan itself, or just to hear about it. But she still didn't trust herself to talk to them yet.

So she just nodded, figuring she could trust them enough to explain further. When Elsa nodded along too, Gaspar and Malin were ready.

"Only you two, Kai and Gerda know that we're alive. We would like to keep it that way for now," Gaspar said. "But we want to stay here and learn how the new Arendelle works. How its new Queen and Princess work. And we want time to get to know them and their leadership….in ways we couldn't do if we were exposed."

"There is one way we can do that," Malin assured. "For the first three years after our…..accident, we thought we were working class people named Maurice and Idina. With Kai and Gerda's supervision, some better disguises, and your blessing….we would like Maurice and Idina to be your new personal servants."

"For the next month," Gaspar qualified. "We will work directly under you, as your servants, in disguise, for a month. It should be enough time to readjust to life around here. And spend the kind of time with you….getting to know you again….we couldn't get if we showed ourselves tomorrow."

"Kai and Gerda helped us fill in the blanks," Malin went on. "In addition to keeping our secret, they'll back up that we just arrived in Arendelle yesterday. Which we did. They'll explain we're from far away, eager to serve, and we have experience in the field. With your approval, all four of you will hire us on a trial basis for the whole month."

"Others might question why, but they won't suspect the real reason," Gaspar added. "With the added makeup and disguises Kai and Gerda found, our new fake voices, and the fact very few people here have seen us in 14 years…..we could actually pull this off."

"The only ones we'd really have to fool are members of the council. And church leaders. And the Prime Minister," Malin pointed out. "Other than that, we can blend right in. Become true citizens of Arendelle again. And real family to you again. If that's….at all possible."

Neither daughter knew how to answer that last part. But a month spending time with them in secret, showing them how things worked now….how _they _worked now….that might be enough time to put off answering them. Maybe if Kai and Gerda sold it just right, and their fake voices weren't that bad, it _could _work.

Nevertheless, it wasn't Elsa who poked the first hole in their plan.

"And then what?" Anna spoke from nowhere. However, there wasn't as much anger as there was in her late surprise statement. "What happens when the month ends?"

"I'm sorry?" Gaspar was unprepared to answer.

"If you think Elsa isn't doing good enough this month….are you just gonna take over when it's over?" Anna asked. "Won't you make it look like she's fighting to keep her job? How can she actually do her job then?"

"We weren't making it look like that!" Gaspar insisted.

"Anna….I wasn't thinking of it like that until now," Elsa quietly admitted to her. This made Anna turn redder than her hair.

"Darnit….I knew I couldn't do this conceal stuff right away!" Anna said less quietly. "Okay, fine, no turning back now!" she still went forward. "No matter _how _me and Elsa are after this month….what are your intentions when it's over? Are you gonna move back in, be royalty again, tell everyone who you are, what?"

"We don't know," Malin admitted first. Anna had wished they'd say without a doubt that they wouldn't take Elsa's crown. Still, she supposed she should expect disappointments like that now.

"Like I said, we have no idea what we're doing. Or how we should feel," Gaspar repeated. "But after we spend this month with you, and with our people, as regular people….we can try to figure it out then."

Putting off sorting out complex feelings, and the uncertain future, for as long as possible. Like parents, like daughters after all. And they even figured out how to do it for more than a night.

Anna didn't want to admit they might be on to something – or share the ways in which they weren't. The idea of spending close, private time with them for a whole month….might both help and hurt her in figuring things through. To say nothing of Elsa – who was still quiet through it all.

"We can take turn with each of you for a week," Malin offered. "I can serve Anna for the first week, and your father can be with Elsa. Then I'll take Elsa and he'll go to Anna after that. Then we switch around for two more weeks….and we should have all we need to figure out our future by then. No matter what's best."

"Who decides what's best then? Everyone? Or just some of us?" Anna asked pointedly.

"Everyone will be heard and consulted. _That _I promise above all," Gaspar vowed. It was the closest he'd come to admitting guilt, mistakes and regret so far. At least in words, and in front of the two people he'd wronged the most. Anna figured that was _something_.

There'd need to be a lot more, though. Enough so that Anna could cry, hug, apologize, love and have fun with her parents - _without_ feeling like a naïve, weak, all too forgiving, bad little sister. So much of her wanted to do it right now anyway.

Anna didn't trust herself to decide anything. She needed the guidance of a big sister. She needed a Queen's orders. She needed Elsa.

"I'll do it," Elsa said right on time. "Only if Anna agrees too. Otherwise…."

For a moment, Anna felt offended. Like Elsa was passing the buck to her, because she couldn't really make up her mind. Like Anna wanted to do to her.

Darned poetic justice. No wonder Anna always hated poetry. At least not in song form.

Then Anna saw Elsa looking to her for a decision, with her typical placid, impenetrable royal stare. Impenetrable to anyone but Anna, anyway.

By now, she knew where to find the layers of uncertainty, worry and fear on her sister's face. _They _probably didn't, but she did. Elsa was always supposed to have all the answers and know best for everyone and everything – yet Anna could see the little part of her that didn't know this.

The part of her that needed guidance. The part of her that needed to know she was doing the right thing – and would stop if someone told her she wasn't. The part of her that needed Anna.

It never stopped amazing Anna when she was reminded of this fact – that Elsa needed her as much as Anna needed her right back. Not after a lifetime of believing the opposite. And hating it.

Believing Elsa never needed Anna and was just fine without her – especially on Anna's most lonely days – was the closest Anna ever came to hating her. Finding out just how wrong Anna was over the last six months was the closest she ever came to hating herself.

And _them_. Until tonight, anyway.

Elsa was the big sister and the Queen who was never supposed to need anyone – who was taught she could never need anyone. By herself and….others. But she needed Anna – sometimes desperately. It came with a lot of pain and leftover heartbreak on both sides, yet Anna had finally shown Elsa that she could openly need her.

Like she did now. Like she would through all of this.

And if they both needed and trusted the other to get them through, if they wanted it….maybe they could.

"One month?" Anna turned to her parents. "You'll let us make our own decisions? The way we've done since the thaw?"

"If we're going to learn how things work now….we'll have to," Malin conceded, as Gaspar nodded his agreement.

"And no pushing us into doing things….we might not be ready for?" Anna danced around. Given her own struggles to hold back until Elsa was ready for certain things, it was only fair that they struggled too.

"We are at _your_ command this time," Gaspar agreed to. Anna took a breath, thought it over – as much as she could with her capacities and lack of sleep – then looked at Elsa.

"If the Queen approves, then so do I," she assured Elsa with all the faith she had.

"In that case….you're hired," Elsa made the biggest decision of her entire reign.

"Very good!" Gerda spoke up at last. "We still have 90 minutes until the staff wakes up. Kai and me will get….Maurice and Idina up to speed and in perfect disguise in no time! No time under 90 minutes, anyway!"

"I'm sorry there's no time for you to actually sleep first," Kai told his….new employees, as it turned out. That would take some getting used to. A month's worth, at least.

"We can sleep once we make this work," Malin declared. "_Then _we'll rest up in our room."

"No!" Elsa objected right away, memories flooding her of frozen doors and….outbursts that made them necessary. Yet she covered up with, "We'd never get away with putting….new servants, or any servants, in the King and Queen's old room."

"Yes, good point," Gaspar praised Elsa for the first time since Elsa could remember. Just as that washed over her, Gaspar thought, "I did notice a nice cottage right near the castle on our way in. There was even an igloo next to it and everything."

"Perfect!" Elsa was inspired to say. "We can set you up there! Another employee lives there, but I'm sure he'd be happy to help you settle down."

"Wait, he'd what?!" Anna objected, but no one noticed.

"Terrific! We're off to a flawless start already!" Malin praised. "If the Queen and Princess like, they can get a few spare hours of sleep while their….staff gets ready for the day."

"That would be best. Thank you for the advice….Idina," Elsa practiced.

"As always, Your Highness," Malin practiced back, before he and a much more confident Gaspar followed Kai and Gerda quietly out of the throne room.

For once, Elsa was feeling light and optimistic – and for once, Anna was quiet. Finally, Anna revealed why that was.

"You do realize….you just told _our parents_ they could live with _my boyfriend_. _Kristoff_? The guy in the cottage? The guy who only likes three people more than reindeers? One of them being a _snow person_ in that igloo next door?" Anna reminded. "A snow person they never would have let you make? Ring any bells?"

Well, _now _they did.

Was this how Anna felt every time she let her big mouth get carried away? At least when she came to her senses? Sometimes?

Well, this was off to a promising start already. So much for a nice 90 minute sleep.


	6. The Morning After

**Thanks for the 100+ reviews in just five chapters**

Anna was a heavy sleeper, yet she'd made herself get up earlier these last six months – if only to greet Elsa before she started her work day. Nevertheless, she still usually slept pretty good before then, although it wasn't the case today.

All that gave her the strength to get up was the knowledge Elsa couldn't have slept well too. How could she, with what was about to happen?

For the first time, Anna wished she hadn't helped Elsa throw away her "conceal, don't feel" mantra so well. Or rather, _their _mantra. At least she hoped Elsa remembered enough to avoid giving this crazy plan away. But only enough of it to do that.

If even Anna thought this plan was crazy, it had to mean it wouldn't work. But she had her chance to stop it and failed, and today was the first of 30 times they would pay for that – maybe.

Once she heard a knock on her door, there was no going back now. "Anna?" Elsa called out – instead of their mother and father. So there were a few extra seconds of mercy.

They ended once Anna opened the door, seeing Elsa in her full on Queen wardrobe, like any other day. She even had her blank Queen face on, like any other day. It was showing up Anna's decided lack of preparation, like any other day – which had never been more reassuring. To either of them.

Elsa's relief was hidden behind her official voice, as she said, "Kai and Gerda will meet us outside council chambers. With our new personal servants. They claim the rest of the staff didn't recognize them at all."

"Good? Oh, right, good, good," Anna was slow to catch on.

"Remember, their names are Maurice and Idina. At least while anyone is watching," Elsa reminded her. "Idina's going to be with you this morning, while Maurice attends my meetings. Then we'll meet after lunch and….get them settled into their new home."

"With their new roommate….who can't know who they really are? Right?" Anna guessed. "I can't tell Kristoff who they are."

"Would knowing who they are make this _any _easier for him? For us?" Elsa pointed out. "And letting them see their room wouldn't have made it easier either," she jumped ahead. "You know that."

"Lot of things I wish I didn't know," Anna grumbled. "And they don't need to know how….important he is to me. Huh?"

"By the time they see him, it'll probably _just _hit them that your last boyfriend almost killed us. That won't make it easier for any of them," Elsa figured.

"So we're concealing in the name of making things easier, then. Already," Anna pointed out. "Lucky that's reasonable _this time_."

"We _will_ tell them. As soon as they're settled in. I promise you, and I promise him. Be sure he knows that. Eventually," Elsa covered her bases. "Let's just make this first day go as easy as possible."

Anna sighed her usual sigh when she couldn't admit Elsa knew better than her. But she recovered to figure, "Then if this is like any other day…."

Elsa was a woman of routine, albeit by choice in only the last few months. Routine would help here – especially this new one where Anna gave her a hug every morning, to send her out on her day. This one required a pretty big one for a pretty big day, even if only six people – and hopefully only six - knew how big it was.

Regardless, Elsa followed her part of the routine, telling Anna "I love you," to send her out on her day. This required a pretty big declaration of love for a pretty big day.

Yet they usually did this right before they headed off on their separate mornings, not before Anna was even dressed. So that was an ominous wrinkle already.

Still, Anna had to go back and get herself ready, dragging her feet – literally or not – more than usual. Eventually, she was neat and tidy by Anna standards, giving her no way out of following Elsa to see 'Maurice and Idina.'

Who were right in the middle of the hall beside the royal chambers, with Kai and Gerda, just as planned. And disguised, just as planned. And not just in royal servant's clothes.

Gaspar was allowed to keep his longer beard. However, his brown hair had been turned black, he had a dimple on his cheek, and his sideburns were completely gone. Malin was now wearing a long blonde wig, which would have made her look more like Elsa if she didn't have green eye contacts. Or makeup that made her look at least 10 years older.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness," Kai greeted Elsa and Anna as they took their new servants in. "Maurice and Idina have been brought up to speed, as per orders. Maurice will accompany the Queen to her meetings, while Malin will help the Princess with whatever she needs. Then you will all meet at their…..new guest cottage before lunch."

"I tried to find the….owner of the cottage, but he was out. Truly, he was," Gerda tried to reassure them without giving anything away. "His ice harvesting duties shouldn't last too long today. You can get him settled in before they settle in. Unless the reindeer is extra chatty this morning."

"Understood, thank you, Gerda," Elsa spoke before that little comment settled in. Turning to the new servants, she spoke as if nothing out of the ordinary, or potentially life ruining, could come from this.

"I know this is a new land and a new job for you. After all those years on that island," Elsa spoke for their benefit, and for anyone who might be listening in. "I'm taking a big chance on you two for the next month. I trust you'll reward my considerable trust."

Gaspar put on his gruff Maurice voice to assure, "We will do what it takes, Your Majesty," without missing a beat.

Malin made her voice slightly older, albeit just shy of an old lady tone, to add, "We are at the Queen and Princess's command."

"Very well," Elsa made herself not miss a beat. "Maurice will be with me when I bring the council up to date. After that, he won't need to do much for today. Just watch and learn. Idina, you do whatever the Princess needs to make her day easier. It shouldn't require much busy work."

Whether that was a dig at her lack of actual responsibilities and tasks, Anna put it aside for now. She sighed and addressed 'Maurice' by saying, "You watch the Queen's back, okay? And I'll watch your….friend's?" she questioned, not knowing if their characters were still married.

"Your Majesty, I think we're already running late," Gaspar stayed in character. Apparently his character kept good time, so that bode well.

"That we are," Elsa realized. "Very well….Kai, Gerda, Idina, Anna….you may all go on with your day. Good luck," she announced, before heading to the chambers with Maurice and Kai following her.

Once Gerda left, it was just Anna and Malin left alone. It was Anna being left alone with one of her parents for the first time in years. "So….what does Your Highness do in the morning, exactly?" Malin asked as Idina.

In all her fear about how her parents would judge Elsa's lifestyle and routine, Anna forgot to worry about how they'd judge hers. Or judge her lack of a royal routine.

The ominous signs were squarely back in the lead now.

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The real high stakes of the morning would be in chambers, however. Elsa would have to tell all the other royal leaders – some who still remembered her parents very well – that she was taking on new personal servants and there was no cause for concern.

For Gaspar's part, he kept a blank face as he looked around his old chambers. There were so many faces he recognized – some of which surprised him by still being there, and some of which disappointed him by still being there. Some were completely new faces, but Kai gave him enough moments before sunrise to study up on them.

Yet the most familiar face of all to Gaspar was Tomas Van Garrett – the current Prime Minister. If someone had told him that would happen 20 years ago….

Since he wouldn't be here if not for Gaspar, it would be Gaspar's own fault if he recognized his former King. But if he didn't, then they would truly be in the clear. Time to see if optimistic thinking really worked.

"Last night, I came across two poor souls, from an island in the middle of the ocean," Elsa told her council, using most of the full truth. "They endured much to get here and find a better life for themselves. And they have great knowledge on how to serve people. Knowledge that could be very useful, in the right doses."

Coming over to Maurice, Elsa announced, "This is Maurice. For the next month, he and his partner, Idina, will be training as personal servants to myself and Princess Anna. They are from an island with no political ties to us, or to anyone else, so you have no need to be concerned. I thought I'd get that out of the way before we start business."

Gaspar didn't have to speak or respond himself, yet the council seemed to take Elsa's word for it anyway. However, it was Prime Minister Van Garrett who got up for a closer look.

"Your Highness, you're quite certain it's wise to bring in new people? Especially now?" he questioned.

"As I said, their island has no ties to us. Or against us. I can show you where it is on a map, if you need more," Elsa repeated. "I'm quite certain they aren't spies. I trust that you would trust my judgment."

Van Garrett didn't answer right away, as he focused on studying Gaspar. On the outside, the man posing as Maurice looked stoic and still. Years of concealing was still good for something after all.

But considering how important the former King had been to the current Prime Minister, he wondered if even that would be enough.

"My apologies," Van Garrett backed off. "As Prime Minister, I must be extra vigilant to protect the kingdom. And it's royalty. As a personal servant to the Queen, you now have the same responsibility. If you and your partner use it wisely, Arendelle will be lucky to have you."

Gaspar could only nod, not willing to push his luck by using his fake voice. Especially after the "using responsibility wisely" message that did more than even Tomas intended.

In any case, Van Garrett nodded and returned to his seat, with Elsa nodding and going to hers. Gaspar went to his position, standing 30 feet behind Elsa's chair, as Kai and so many personal servants had stood behind him in the past.

Now he would see a royal council meeting from the other side. Now he would actually see his daughter rule as Queen for the first time.

Yes, years of concealing emotions did still have its place. At least in public. No matter how….popular that view was to the rest of the royal family now.

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"And….that's the castle. Again," Anna declared, trying to spark some excitement into taking her mother all around the castle for a second time. At least most of it.

"I admit, there's been some….noteworthy changes around here," Malin noted. "I certainly noticed Joan and the paintings weren't among them."

"Nope, she's still on standby for my yapping. What else is she gonna do, right?" Anna joked a little nervously. "If Elsa could bring paintings to life too, then she'd have some options!"

Anna quickly realized that the "too" in that sentence was way too much. Before Malin could ask about it, Anna asked, "Hey, third tour's a charm though, right? How about it?"

"Is this really what you do every morning? Walk around the castle?" Malin wondered.

"I've had a lot of practice," Anna bit back some bitterness, given how this was all she could do every morning, afternoon and night for 13 years – halfway because of her mother. And she thought being around her first would be much easier.

"But no, this isn't what I do _every _morning," Anna tried to get back on track. "It's just….my usual morning fun isn't possible today. And it's….stuff you need to see to really get. Since we can't see it today, might as well wait! Right?"

That was a crazy way to avoid explaining she usually spent the morning with Kristoff – her boyfriend and her parents' future roommate. That probably wouldn't hold as an excuse for three more mornings, let alone 30.

So this was how her first morning with her parents was going. Lying and covering up and thinking it was for everyone's own good, when it wasn't. Right back where they all left off. Only Anna was doing the lying.

If this was some way of teaching her a lesson….no wonder Anna hated lessons.

Her lies had nothing on her parent's lies, though. And yet here she and Elsa were, trying to make things easier for _them_. Worrying about what _they _would think, when that was never their top concern with their own daughters. Allegedly.

Anna _should _be able to show off her boyfriend and gossip about him to her mother, like a normal daughter! She should get her on his side to balance out her father's irrational disapproval – like in a normal family!

And quite frankly, if they really wanted to prove things would be different – that _they_ would be different – they needed to accept just how different things were. And not just when it came to her and Elsa being together. It was only fair.

Unfortunately, it was also only fair that Kristoff know what was going on first. That he should be prepared to deal with this…..weird living situation ahead.

Anna should have woken him up hours ago to tell him in the first place. Heck, he'd be too mad at her waking him up at 4 a.m. _again _to be mad about taking in their parents! Duh!

And it was totally Elsa's fault anyway, so it'd be nice to play that trump card for once. Just for kicks.

But Anna chickened out, because they couldn't risk more people knowing the big secret. Even after 13 years of proof about how that exact strategy never worked. Even after Anna tore her parents apart over it.

It looked like Anna would have to live by example to really teach them a lesson.

After being a hypocritical liar for another hour, until she could actually tell Kristoff first. But after that, honesty all the way!

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Elsa didn't know how she had gotten through the morning. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in a few months, although this one was different. It had nothing to do with the council, the work, or worrying about being there for Anna.

In the past, she always felt like her father was watching her, even when he wasn't – both when he was alive and dead. Yet this time, he really was watching her. Watching her be a Queen for the first time. Scrutinizing her every move, even if he wasn't able to say anything.

As such, every word she said, every decision she made and every argument she settled came with a real weight. The weight of worrying if it was good enough for her father – if she was good enough. The need to be good enough for him, so she could possibly feel worthy.

Back then, it was something she needed to feel like an actual human being. And something for….one reason or another, she so rarely felt in those final years before his death. And first three years after it.

It wasn't as desperate of a need now. Not when she had found so much validation and self-worth in these last six months. If it wasn't for that, the return of these….uneasily familiar insecurities would be far worse.

Yet Elsa fought them off to do her job, pacify Van Garrett and the council for another morning, and handle the kind of business her father could never do in his final years. Nevertheless, she could never forget that he was watching her.

Studying her. Judging her. Deciding if she was really the good girl – the good ruler – she was always supposed to be by his standards. In spite of how those standards really shouldn't have mattered anymore.

Logically, Elsa knew they didn't. She was getting better at knowing that for herself without Anna around. But emotionally – which was rather ironic, all things considered – it was harder to shake off today.

It was stupid, since her father wasn't even saying anything, or doing anything, He couldn't do anything except watch. She had no way of knowing if he was thinking that way – although last night already proved how much he still clung to the old ways. One Anna lecture and one crazy plan couldn't change it completely.

It wasn't like Elsa could talk to him in private to find out. With her work schedule and Anna schedule, it wouldn't leave that much time for 'Maurice' to be Gaspar. Not with him and Elsa by themselves, anyway.

Besides, talking to him while letting herself feel and express everything….it wasn't like she remembered how that worked.

So for all their talk about learning new ways and getting to know them again….it was all built on the same old "conceal" strategy after all. For the greater good. To keep more secrets from the people, and Anna's loved ones. Again.

With the side effect of making Elsa doubt herself and fear his judgment. Again. Even if she was doing much more than staying in her room. Even if he wasn't judging. But again, how would she know what that was like?

As such, she was already making rash decisions, in hopes it would please him. Believing certain things were for the greater good, when they really weren't. Like planning to make Kristoff live with them, rather than let them see how she renounced them six months ago.

She still wasn't ready to share that much yet. But she could do _something _to prove to him, them – and herself – that this wouldn't turn into _then_.

Starting with trusting someone to keep a big secret. With not letting that big secret drive a wedge between Anna and a loved one, all because of Elsa's mistakes. With giving someone a choice and a say in these big decisions.

With that, Elsa felt something she never felt before. Rebellious.

Of course, telling their sister's boyfriend that her parents were alive and coming to live with him – if he wanted – would hardly qualify as rebellious to normal people. More like common decency, really.

But Elsa's parents knew better than anyone how not normal she was. At least this time, she could be halfway proud to let them see it.

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Gaspar didn't know how he had gotten through the morning. It was a feeling he hadn't felt in several years in this place, although it was different from the others. It wasn't because of business, disagreements with the council, or Elsa's lack of control.

Rather, it was Elsa's _control _that stunned him. And did many other things.

For the first eight years of Elsa's life, Gaspar thought it would be a given that she'd rule like this. Poised, controlled, formidable, and prepared for any challenge or debate. He gave up on those high hopes long ago – and yet here they were coming back to life, right in front of him, today.

She was handling the kind of royal business that Gaspar had to abandon long ago. Seeing a kingdom run this….openly was something Gaspar might not get used to again for a while. Yet as foreign as this had become to him, it seemed so natural to Elsa.

She didn't back down when the council and Tomas disagreed with her on some issues – like those troubling rumors of spy networks – and even won them over on others. She planned visits and interactions with the people, without fearing what she could do to them. She wrote letters to allies, listened intently to visitors, and looked and acted every bit like an experienced royal.

With no ice or snow anywhere in sight.

Yet Elsa kept herself so busy, there weren't any moments of privacy between them. At least the kind of privacy where he could be Gaspar, not Maurice. Not the kind of privacy where he could tell her these things, or say how incredible this all was to him.

Otherwise, she'd probably point out how this could have happened years ago. How it should have happened years ago. Then all that control would likely disappear.

What could Gaspar say to her that would be good enough? What could possibly make her look at him like he was….an actual father again? What right did he have to ask to be one again? How long before Elsa stopped wanting to humor him?

If _Anna_ was that furious – and likely still was – Elsa's pent up rage would probably be apocalyptic. And not a bit of it would be her fault.

Of course, if Gaspar really let that sink in completely, he'd probably want to kill himself before Elsa could freeze him.

Until that could be ignored, he had no idea what to say to Elsa that wouldn't set….so many other things off. Even compliments. Even apologies. Even actual pride at the woman she was turning out to be.

So after all this time, it was back to living in fear of her oldest daughter again. Back to hiding feelings for her own sake. Back to not giving her a chance to stop hiding hers.

Even now, Gaspar would argue he had the best intentions back then, for his family and his people. He wondered if he could argue that this time, though.

If the best intentions weren't even close to good enough _then_, now…..

Well, at least he could actually watch her this time before the bottom fell out. That was the best act of mercy he could hope for.

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Malin did what she had done all morning long, in walking behind Anna. The only different was that they were walking to this cottage she and Gaspar were staying in.

Whoever this Ice Master and Deliverer was, he probably did more than walk around. He'd have to, in order to justify a job that had no business existing – not with an ice master as Queen, anyway. How did Elsa rationalize that?

At least Elsa might give straight answers to her questions. Or do more than just walk. Given how excitable Anna had been as a child – a mixed blessing in many ways – she never expected her to be so….boring now.

Was that what all these years of isolation did to her? Suck the feisty life out of her? Was she only able to come alive when she could rant at those who wronged her? Where was the part of her that came alive to love and play – and wanted to be around her parents?

Malin had to believe she and Gaspar hadn't killed it. Otherwise, she really had come up with this insane servant plan for nothing. Otherwise, the damage was clearly too much to fix, in any real way.

Otherwise, she might have been better off staying at the bottom of the ocean. Or on that island, blissfully forgetful of what she'd let happen.

Rather than making herself forget on purpose, while it was happening. Whether it worked or not.

"Okay. The Ice Master and Deliverer should be home by now. Just let me….bring him up to speed, and then I'll let you meet him," Anna said with as much control as possible. She thought Malin was none the wiser about it.

Ironically, Anna was none the wiser about how her control was tearing Malin apart.

But they stayed none the wiser as Malin stayed behind, watching Anna head to the cottage door. However, she could still hear Anna knocking, in that same pattern she used on…..another door back in the day. One that could never open for her – although this one did.

This finally made Malin turn her head, in case Anna looked back to see her watering eyes. Hopefully these contacts lens could withstand that.

When she felt safe to open her eyes, she looked up to see Gaspar and Elsa approaching nearby. But they were all too late, as Malin looked back to see Anna had already gone inside.

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"Kristoff? Do you mind if I say something?" Anna said, stopping their morning kisses.

"It's never stopped you before, but go on," Kristoff said. Luckily Anna was in the mood to savor his blissful ignorance.

"Okay….I'm gonna tell you some things, and I don't want you to get mad," Anna started out. "Or forget that 20 percent of this is Elsa's fault."

"Sounds very promising," Kristoff let out his morning sarcasm.

"I wish it was," Anna let out her morning obliviousness to sarcasm. "I mean, it's great in a lot of ways! I just can't enjoy it right now. And now you have to not enjoy it too….but it's better than lying to you! Really! You might not see it that way today, but give it a month! They might be gone then!"

"Okay, I caught a 'they' in there. That's more helpful words than I usually catch when you're rambling," Kristoff stated. "Anything to add to that?"

Anna sighed, deciding to add the least stressful part first. If only by comparison. "Don't get mad….at this thing Elsa came up with, remember! But….we've got two new personal servants, and they….need a place to stay. A place that's….not in the castle."

Ideally, there would have been a knock on the door in the middle of this, to buy Anna precious seconds. Of course, luck wasn't on her side today. Still, it came before Kristoff could say anything and object to living with people for the first time, so that was a tiny break.

"I'll get it!" Anna said before that break went away. Perhaps she was just in time, since Elsa was at the door instead of their parents.

"Anna, you don't have to lie to him!" Elsa got out quickly. "I want him to know the truth. No secrets this time."

"Oh…." Anna was surprised to hear. After feeling much more touched for a second, she felt the need to point out, "For the record, I was gonna tell him first." Then she felt guiltier and added, "Oh...I might have given you….too much credit on other stuff…."

"So, am I living with people now or not?" Kristoff got them back on topic. Yet instead of waiting for them to explain, he looked out and saw two people standing outside.

Showing Anna like impatience, Kristoff went out to see these new servants. He missed Anna and Elsa sharing a concerned, worried look, but he heard them rushing out to follow him.

"Um….this is Kristoff. Royal Ice Master and Deliverer," Anna seemed to address them, without any further explanation.

"It's a pleasure, young Ice Master," Gaspar said in his Maurice voice.

Instead of answering, Kristoff just looked closely at him and Malin. He held up his hands and seemed to frame their faces, then just looked up and down at them. Anna and Elsa couldn't make sense of it, and they were already confused about how to start explaining things themselves.

With one statement from Kristoff, however, it was all moot. "Please tell me these aren't your parents."

The fact that none of them could tell him anything told him enough.


	7. A Proper Introduction

**Thanks to the near 100 readers who've favored this, and over 200 readers who are following it**

The first thing Anna and Elsa had to do was get everyone in the cottage. The second thing they tried was figuring out what to ask first, out of the hundred questions that came to mind. Preferably before their parents interrogated Kristoff about what he knew. However the heck he knew it.

Elsa finally emerged to give him a mercy interrogation. "Kristoff….my father spent the morning around people who knew him for years. The Prime Minister owes his entire career to him. None of _them _recognized him all morning. So how did _you_?"

Instead of actually answering, Kristoff mumbled, "Oh boy, it's true….my girlfriend's making me live with her undead parents. Should have seen that weirdness coming, probably."

"Your what?!" Gaspar only caught the sixth word in that sentence.

"One weird thing at a time, please!" Anna pleaded. Turning to Kristoff, she asked, "How about you just answer Elsa first? Even if this _was _all her idea?"

Kristoff looked at Anna, then back at the people who really were her parents, then cringed and turned away. However, he realized that might not be the best first impression, so he tried to look back and look tougher. Yet their glaring made him turn away again – although some of it was because he wasn't answering Anna's question.

"In English, please!" Anna snapped him out of it. Kristoff took a breath and just looked at Anna and Elsa – the slightly less frightening options.

"Okay, look. You know the….last night you guys spent together for 13 years….was the night the trolls adopted me, right?" Kristoff recounted. "I admit, when I met you guys again, I didn't put all the pieces together then. I've gotten better at it since."

Feeling slightly more capable of talking, he continued, "Now I _really _remember _every _detail of that night. I mean, it's the night I found my family. And technically, the first time I met my….possible second family."

Remembering who could hear him again, he jumped and corrected, "But not now! Not for a _very _long time, trust me! Or whenever she wants! _If _she wants! Besides, she learned her lesson about moving too fast when Hans…." This time, he thought ahead and tried to correct, "Hans….who?"

"I've had time to find out who _Hans _is. Trust me," Gaspar said behind him. "But this is the first I'm finding out about _you _being there….that night."

"Yeah, that…." Kristoff said, turning around to face them halfway. "I was there, all right. I didn't recognize they were…._your_ daughters when I met them again. Not till later. But like I said, I remember everything from the biggest night of my life a lot clearer now."

Facing Gaspar nearly face to face, Kristoff admitted, "That means that I…..remember you now too. So much that the dimples and beard wig didn't fool me, apparently. Not that you're not good at fooling fools!"

"So you….knew Elsa's secret all that time," Malin took from it. "How did we miss that? We failed at keeping it safe right from the start."

"And now he knows _another_ secret of ours too," Gaspar realized next. "Finding out secrets, learning possible weaknesses….all while being close to my daughter….it sounds like a very familiar pattern. A very disturbing one."

"Okay….if you stayed rent free, would that make me less disturbing?" Kristoff offered. "I could let Sven sleep over only four nights a week, but that's as low as I'll go! He's just getting to like the royal stables anyway! He doesn't even get his antlers tangled up anymore! He told me just last night!"

"Royal stables? Antlers? He _told _you?" Malin questioned.

"Oh, right. Talking just makes things worse," Kristoff figured. "I knew that before meeting Anna, and now look."

"Are you bad mouthing my daughter's mouth?" Gaspar questioned.

"No comment?" Kristoff dug himself deeper with just two words.

"Mama, Papa, enough!" Elsa brought everything to a halt with just three words.

The first two really hit Gaspar and Malin hard. It was the first time since they returned that Elsa called them Mama and Papa. The first time any of their daughters did. And it was to make them be quiet.

That awful truth kept them more than quiet as Elsa spoke further. "Yes, Kristoff was there that night. He knew our secret all along. And he lives with and talks to a reindeer. But clearly, none of them said anything back then. And they won't this time."

Standing beside Kristoff, Elsa continued, "More important, when I lost control and ran away….back _then_, Anna found me because of him. We wouldn't be together again if it wasn't for him. That's more than her last suitor ever did. Even if he set the bar very low."

"Besides, Hans did it in a day! Kristoff hasn't tried to kill us in six months! At least he's biding his time, right?" Anna spoke much less convincingly. "Right….talking makes things worse, got it…."

"The point is, we all owe Kristoff a debt in some way. That means you should trust him. Like _I _trust him," Elsa praised. "I'd like to believe that would mean something to you."

If it didn't to Gaspar and Malin, it did to Kristoff. It was the nicest thing Elsa'd said to him – maybe the nicest thing anyone other than trolls or a girlfriend ever said about him. Maybe that made up for this whole mess being her fault, according to Anna.

For the former King and Queen's part, Elsa's pointed comment at the very end stung too. Now that they'd dug themselves into a deeper hole – here and in the bigger picture – there was no point fighting this battle anymore.

"Very well. Are there are other secrets we might find out around here?" Gaspar moved on.

Right on cue, they heard a knock on the door – and the voice of just such a big secret.

"Knock knock? Who's not there?" Olaf's cheerful voice rang out behind the door. "It's not Olaf! Not Olaf who, you might ask?"

"I made a talking snowman!" Elsa blurted out before anything else happened. So she ripped the band aid off, went to open the door and unveiled Olaf to her parents.

"Surprise! It's Olaf!" Olaf cheered. "I was not Olaf the whole time! I must have made your heads spin!"

With that, Olaf took his head and spun it around his twiggy fingers – but of course, the head spun out of control and rolled at Gaspar and Malin's feet.

"Whoh, not Olaf needs a nap…." Olaf sounded dizzy – until he looked up at his creator's parents. "Hi! I'm Olaf! No matter what not Olaf said about me hating warm hugs, he's a liar!"

The body of Olaf ran around, trying to get to Gaspar and Malin and hug them, but he didn't quite get there. Even with Gaspar and Malin just standing there, unable to move a muscle, looking almost as frozen as one of Elsa's ice sculptures.

Finally, Olaf got his head on straight and back on, then hugged Gaspar and Malin's legs. Still, they didn't move an inch. Backing up, Olaf looked at them and declared, "Wow, Elsa, these are your best ice statues yet! You even made them pink and terrified and everything!"

"No, Olaf….these are my parents," Elsa introduced them. "They're Anna's parents too."

"Right!" Anna got back in the mix. "You know how Elsa made you? Well….these two people made me and Elsa too."

"Really?" Olaf gasped. "Wow! If they made you like that….then are you and Elsa snow women? I knew it all along! I told not Olaf from the start! I can't wait till he stops spinning and hears this!"

Before Anna, Elsa or anyone could make sense of that, Olaf went back to Gaspar and Malin. "I'm sorry, this isn't about him. You guys have snow man powers like Elsa! Not Olaf can't compete with that!" He gasped and asked, "Can you make him a dozen other snowmen to compete with? That'll keep him from bothering us!"

"We're dreaming this, right? We're actually in the bottom of the ocean and dreaming, right?" Gaspar finally muttered.

Malin actually moved an inch – enough to reach out and touch Olaf's head. "Hee hee, that tickles!" Olaf giggled, waving his stick arms around until Malin touched them too.

"This is a very convincing underwater dream…." Malin muttered. Turning her attention to Elsa, she asked, "If it isn't…..does that mean you _made _this? You can create _life_?"

"If _Elsa_ created it, why is it so….scatterbrained?" Gaspar whispered.

"So smart people can't make scatterbrained people? Then how'd you guys make me, huh?" Anna tried to defend Olaf, in spite of semi-insulting herself – perhaps backing up her point in other ways.

"Ooh, can you make giants too? Like Marshmallow?" Olaf asked. "Could your Marshmallow throw me, Anna and Kristoff out of ice palaces like Elsa's did?"

"Okay!" Elsa snapped. "I _think _that's enough questions for today."

"Right, sorry. Better save some for tomorrow!" Olaf figured out. "I'm sure even not Olaf will have some good ones then!" he declared, then giggled as if he was really fooling anyone. "Bye guys! Bye, Elsa and Anna's magic parents!" he saluted, then ran outside and to the next door igloo that Gaspar and Malin really noticed now.

"We're living with Anna's boyfriend. Next door to Elsa's talking snowman," Gaspar summed up the obvious.

"Kind of…..so, welcome back to Arendelle!" Kristoff tried to cheer, although the tone didn't help much.

"So now we're trusting a….loopy snowman to keep our secret too," Malin noted. Her daughters had to admit, that would be a lot trickier. "How does that not end in disaster?"

"Wait!" Anna said, not wanting to hear their parents answer. "I know what to do! We make a game out of it for him! Tell him we're all playing a game where….whoever goes the longest without telling anyone you're my parents wins! And _we_ won't tell anyone, so he'll have to keep playing all month to beat us!"

"That….is the most appealing crazy idea I've heard all day," Elsa had to give it to Anna. "Once I convince him you don't have magic….without going into the whole….butterflies and carrots talk about how you made us….it could work!"

"Yes, something that works, let's turn it around like that!" Kristoff encouraged. Since Gaspar and Malin had no experience with talking snowmen, they had no choice but to let the experts handle it.

"There you go. See what happens when you _take time_ to think of better ideas? Even in impossible situations?" Anna started spouting. "And when you let more than one person have a say, fewer snowmen or people get hurt. Don't they?"

Anna got the point she was making, about a second after everyone else did. Once that made everyone remember how awkward everything still was, they realized anew how talking made everything worse. Anna really hoped that was the reason she wasn't apologizing.

When Gaspar and Malin couldn't think of anything, they couldn't look at their daughters either. And looking at Kristoff only reminded them of _that_ awkward mess too. Yet no one could look at anyone without feeling at a loss for good enough words.

"You know….if everyone else is going to buy you two as servants...you should do work with the rest of the staff," Elsa offered, as a helpful way out.

"Yes….your afternoon is free, so you don't need us right this second," Gaspar took the way out. "I'm sure Kai can find….convincing work for us in the meantime."

"Right. We should make ourselves useful….with work," Malin conceded. "I suppose….we'll see our roommate after work."

Kristoff could only give a half nod, which was more than the royal family felt comfortable giving each other. But once Gaspar and Malin left the cottage, it was just Anna, Elsa and Kristoff left in uncomfortable silence now.

"They seemed….parent-y," Kristoff gave the nicest compliment he felt safe enough to give.

Luckily, talking had done enough damage for the afternoon.

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Every morning, Elsa worked hard on royal duties, while Anna worked hard to stay awake and/or entertain Kristoff, whether he asked or not. The afternoon was set aside for Anna and Elsa to have their time together – a time Elsa took weeks to get right after the thaw. Then she was usually back at work at night, with Anna there for dinner and for a good night hug.

Technically, the schedule was followed to the letter today, with only a few wrinkles. Anna and Elsa did spend the afternoon together, although half of it was spent explaining everything to Kristoff. The other half was spent teaching Olaf about the "Don't tell anyone the new servants are your Meemaw and Peepaw" game.

They ate dinner together, with Gaspar and Malin occasionally observing. But after the long day readjusting to life in the castle, learning how it worked on the servant's side – and the other incidents that made this a really long day – there wasn't much they could say to their bosses. In any case, they'd already gone almost a day and a half without any real sleep.

Elsa and Anna dismissed them for the day, but could only come up with a "Good night" to send them on their way. That was the only thing Gaspar and Malin had before they left as well.

Before Elsa went back to her study to catch up on work, she had to let Anna know, "You know we'll actually have to _talk _to them at some point, right? Share real words and….feelings? Without yelling them?"

"To be fair, I didn't yell this time," Anna defended. "But….they can't figure out how Arendelle works now in a day, right? We got about a week before we have to….really _talk_ to them? Right?"

"We _should _be talking to them right now. They're our parents, and we're making them sleep with snowmen and reindeer! After their first full day back in our lives!" Elsa hissed quietly. "Then again, they know how we feel. It should be _their _turn to share now." Sighing, she admitted, "Then again, how would they remember how in just a day? How would _we_?"

"And that's why none of us knows what to say. Good to remember," Anna sighed.

"Maybe some work will take my mind off it too. Runs in the family, doesn't it?" Elsa admitted.

"Skipped me something good. Guess that's the one good thing I can think about tonight," Anna figured. "While my boyfriend is facing my parents all alone."

"Well, if he'd lived in the castle in the first place, this might not have happened," Elsa noted. "You can use that trump card the next time you fight over that."

"Elsa, I hardly need help getting trump cards over him. I'm beating him at cards a lot more now," Anna replied. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

Elsa held back too big of a smirk and a laugh, saying, "Nothing. That's the best thing right now."

"Okay, you're the queen and the big sister…." Anna let her have this one, whatever it was. "But in case you're too busy with queen stuff, I guess we should do this now."

With that, Anna gave Elsa her pre bedtime hug, to carry with her in case she had work, nightmares or other troubles. Relieved, Elsa hugged back and gave Anna her pre bedtime, "I love you," to assure her and carry with her before she did….whatever she did instead of sleeping.

Those tactics got them through more than a few nights, on their road to being real sisters again. But getting their minds off of what was happening outside – and whether things could possibly get any better?

Even warm hugs and "I love you"'s had limitations.

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Kristoff was passing the time by himself at the dinner table, while Sven was comfortable in his designated sleepover area at the corner. Olaf was inside, as Elsa remembered to put a flurry back over his head  
in case he left the igloo. Other than that, all he was doing was looking at Gaspar and Malin.

Trapped between Olaf's staring, and Kristoff's attempt not to stare, the former King and Queen remained at a loss. It was bad enough feeling that around their daughters, but they had to find some relief somewhere. Some measure of progress to carry with them before their first real night of sleep back in Arendelle.

"At the very least….he knows more about our daughters now than we do," Malin whispered to Gaspar while gesturing to Kristoff. "We can't afford to waste resources like that."

Silently agreeing, Gaspar made himself silently go to Kristoff's table, silently sit down – and silently stay quiet. This left Malin alone to deal with Olaf's silent admiration.

"You're Elsa's mom," Olaf said. "Elsa's kind of my mom. That makes you my Meemaw." Dropping his voice to a whisper, he added, "Don't tell anyone I told you, or I'll lose the game. Meemaw's aren't tattle tales, you know."

"I'm glad you reminded me…." Malin attempted to make small talk. That was about the right time for Sven to trot on by.

"No Sven, give Idina room! Let not Meemaw rest, okay?" Olaf requested. Sven just looked blankly and walked on by, yet Olaf grinned widely. "I love this game already….'Idina!' No, wait, wait, I mean Idina," he actually took out the quotation marks. "It's probably best if you leave that part out."

"I will try my best," was all Malin could say.

Nearby, Gaspar said just a few more words to Kristoff. "So….you actually live with the trolls? Or _lived _with them?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, yeah, that's what I did," Kristoff confirmed awkwardly. "The same guys that saved Elsa's life. And told Anna how to save her life. I know good people – well, people by troll standards."

"Is Pabbie still among those good troll people?" Gaspar took what little momentum he had. Even if he was supposed to ask Kristoff about Anna and Elsa instead – but one step at a time.

"That he is. Still removing magic, still giving people advice about containing it, the whole thing," Kristoff disclosed.

"Maybe if this works out, I'll have time to see him again," Gaspar hoped. "Maybe we both need to talk to each other. About how we….both tried to make things work out years ago. And how we….might not have completely thought things through. Not that he thought less than me!" Sighing, he quietly admitted, "It would have been much easier if he did."

That was the most amount of guilt he could withstand saying out loud. To his daughter's boyfriend, who he was living with for the next month. Had to start somewhere, he supposed. Yet it gave Kristoff somewhere to start as well.

"He's talked to me once or twice about it. When I've had time to visit home. The home without roofs or Sven corners, I mean," Kristoff qualified. "He wonders how things would be if he….explained things differently back then. Then maybe you wouldn't have separated them, there'd still be no such thing as snow in summer, and you might still be alive. Well, you are now, but he doesn't know that."

As Kristoff wondered if Pabbie was magical enough to have known that, and if he should have given him a heads up, Gaspar commented, "If I wasn't so easy to scare, he wouldn't have wondered anything. But who _wouldn't _have been scared? But….none of _them_ were scared yesterday, were they? They loved Elsa. And the magic."

Once Kristoff vowed to question Pabbie's all seeing powers on his next visit, he heard Gaspar say, "They might have loved it back then too. And I never bothered to consider it. I didn't take the time. Or ask a second opinion. And look what I caused because of it…." Sighing, he admitted out loud for the first time, "I destroyed my family for nothing."

That wasn't what Kristoff was leading up to. Cursing his increasingly Anna-like short attention span, he got back on track before it was too late.

"You did other things too!" Kristoff insisted. "If I didn't see you guys going to the trolls, me and Sven wouldn't have found a home. If you didn't separate them, the freeze wouldn't have happened….and then I wouldn't have met Anna. Or Elsa. And Olaf wouldn't have been born either. Sure, you caused a lot of bad things by accident. But you made a lot of good things happen by accident too."

"Mainly for you, it sounds like," Gaspar concluded.

"Well, no need to think about me. Um, not that it's so bad to think about me!" Kristoff tried to salvage, then got back to the actual point. "But think about this too! You kept them apart for 13 years, but they _still _loved each other more than anything. They love each other even more now. If you really _destroyed_ your family, you didn't do a real good job."

"I suppose you have more evidence than me," Gaspar admitted.

"I don't need much of it. You just need to see Elsa lighting up and looking warm for Anna once, and that's about it," Kristoff recounted. "Seeing Anna cheer her on and give her confidence helps too. I mean, she locked herself out as much as you locked her up, and Anna forgave her like that! She let herself _die _for her instead of kissing me! So don't worry about her holding a grudge, okay?"

"That's a lot to chew on," Gaspar admitted. "Both the dying for her part, and the not kissing you part."

"Right, that's what I was going for," Kristoff commented. "And the whole 'you did good things and your daughters still love you' stuff. That too."

"I hope you're right," Gaspar confessed. "I suppose that's our first bit of common ground."

"Not really. You hope you're right, but I _know_ I am. Just get to know them again, you'll see," Kristoff proposed. "Not that I think I know better on other stuff! Anna already let me know that. Not that it's annoying sometimes at all! Um, Your Majesty!" he covered up.

Gaspar chose to let that go, since he had bigger things to think over. "I never thought it could be that simple back then. I suppose that's the first place I went wrong," he reflected. "I spent my last 10 years with them fearing the worst. That's….a hard habit to break."

"Elsa did it in six months. I'm sure you can get pretty far with one," Kristoff encouraged.

"I….will try to know so," Gaspar split the difference this time.

Before too much bonding could occur, Gaspar noticed Olaf staring near the table. "You're not my Peepaw. You're Maurice," Olaf said perfectly, then gave a wink. "I'm glad we got that cleared up," he said, barely holding back a giggle as he headed off.

"Of course, some things will _never _be simple to get used to," Kristoff admitted. Gaspar had to nod and agree with his potential son-in-law.

Inside, he hoped a world where he never reconnected with his daughters wouldn't become a simpler thing to get used to.

But two days ago, he never thought his first night of sleep in Arendelle would be in a cottage, in a small bed, with an ice man boyfriend and a reindeer sleeping downstairs, and a talking snowman sleeping in an igloo next door. Or that the most words his daughters shared with him and Malin so far would be angry ones.

Yet he'd gotten used to that reality by the time he and Malin got to bed. As they held each other and went to sleep without a word – which was easier when they weren't thinking about the nights they could tuck both Anna and Elsa in – they wondered what else they'd be resigned to getting used to.

As did their daughters before they could finally close their eyes.


	8. Origin Story

People who come up with a plan to pose as their daughters servants for a month, just to spend regular time with them before unveiling themselves as the not dead King and Queen….they likely wouldn't think everything through right away.

As such, Gaspar and Malin missed a thing or two when they began serving Anna and Elsa. To be fair, the sisters missed the same thing.

If this plan would really help them spend lasting time together to catch up, and fix their bond – it couldn't work right away. After all, as far as everyone else knew, Gaspar and Malin were just Maurice and Idina from a nowhere island. It was already suspicious enough that they were getting this "trial period" as personal servants to the Queen and Princess, in their first days at Arendelle.

If they spent even more personal time with Elsa and Anna than that – time not even Kai and Gerda got to spend with them – then red flags would really go up. Especially if they were around during the Queen and Princess's designated afternoon time together. After Elsa fought so hard to get that time with Anna, why would she share it with two strangers now?

As such, even when Elsa and Anna had free time together each afternoon, Gaspar and Malin couldn't spend any real meaningful moments with them. Not unless the Queen and Princess went out into Arendelle in an afternoon, and needed servants to supervise them, for work purposes. Hardly a chance to get away with private family reconnection.

Thanks to their own plan, Gaspar and Malin were the ones largely shut out from their daughters' lives this time. Gaspar could only watch and take orders from Elsa as she worked in the morning, spend his afternoons doing other work with the staff, and perhaps get in some talk with Elsa and Anna at night – but nothing too deep. Certainly nothing that could trigger attention grabbing tears, screams and reconciliation, that's all.

Malin had a bit more wiggle room serving Anna. Yet now that Kristoff wasn't a secret from her, Anna went back to spending most of her mornings with him, Sven and Olaf. Like Gaspar, Malin either trailed Elsa and Anna on outings in town in the afternoon, or did other palace work to keep blending in.

All four family members told themselves that once "Maurice and Idina" settled in, it wouldn't look so suspicious for Anna and Elsa to get closer to them. In a way, it still worked out, given how they were all secretly relieved to stall any real, serious, heart wrenching talks – which in turn made them feel disgusted, cowardly and paralyzed as well.

As it turned out, Gaspar and Malin spent far more meaningful time with Kristoff, Sven and Olaf at night than with Elsa and Anna in the day. Kristoff kept being a valuable source of information to his girlfriend's supposedly dead parents - and was about halfway less weirded out by the end of the week. Sven only fought with them about cottage space three times, and Olaf was still winning the "Don't tell anyone who Meemaw and Peepaw are" game.

Nevertheless, when the first week of Maurice and Idina's trial period was over, there was little to really show for it. It may have only been the second dumbest, least thought plan Elsa and Anna's parents ever came up with.

Regardless, at least the _first _dumbest plan actually worked on _some_ levels.

The second week would be different on at least one level, though. It was Malin's turn to serve Elsa, while Gaspar would attend to Anna.

Whether that was a promising change or not was….still up in the air.

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Gaspar was pondering that very question on the last afternoon of the first week. Since Elsa and Anna were out with Kristoff, Sven and Olaf, there was no chance or worry of bumping into them. He thought maybe he could find Malin and have an actual walk together before they went back to work.

After all, they'd only remembered they'd been husband and wife for three months - and all of that time revolved around their daughters and getting home. It was bad enough they couldn't bond with them again, let alone each other.

However, it was another old face from the past that caught up to Gaspar in the courtyard.

"Maurice!" Gaspar heard, turning to see Prime Minister Van Garrett approaching. Remembering to put on his Maurice voice and posture, Gaspar got back into character just in time.

"Greeting, Mr. Prime Minister," Gaspar gruffed out. "I'm sorry to say that Queen Elsa and Princess Anna aren't here."

"I know their schedule. I wasn't looking for either of them," Van Garrett informed. "I came here to find you."

"Me?" Gaspar was puzzled. "Is there something wrong?"

"Not at all. By all accounts, you're adapting to life here quite well. Not bad for someone who's lived on an island all his life," Tomas made Gaspar wonder if he'd adapted too well.

"The best thing the royal family needs is a fast learner. I would assume," Gaspar covered up.

"Yes, I can see that," Van Garrett conceded. "And starting tomorrow, you're going to learn to serve Princess Anna, I hear. This mean we can expect your friend Idina to stand with the Queen."

"It seems you already are, sir," Gaspar commented. "But I can assure you Idina will serve the Queen even better than I have. I plan to serve the Princess just as well."

"So you two have no complaints about your work. Or your employers?" the Prime Minister asked.

"Not at all," Gaspar began to get concerned. "Were you expecting us to have any?"

"Not like that, no," Van Garrett answered.

"So why ask the question, then? Mr. Prime Minister," Gaspar remembered to stay formal and humble. Even if the conversation wasn't going that way.

"I apologize if I overstepped," Tomas backed off. "As Prime Minister, I have to protect Arendelle nearly as much as the royal family does. That includes protecting its image. Making sure the good name of our royalty remains strong and respected. As you can imagine, it's been an uphill battle in the past. I just want to ensure it doesn't get harder."

"You believe I have the power to make it harder? That Idina does?" Gaspar nitpicked.

"You two are new to our ways. New to the concept of a Queen with magic powers," Van Garrett recapped. "To have you adapt, accept it and serve it right away….that sort of message can help more than hurt. Especially when we still need all the good messages we can get."

"Well….if that's the message you want to tell, go right ahead," Gaspar gave permission. "Anything to make things easier for the Queen. And the Princess."

"It's not just for them," the Prime Minister admitted. He seemed to realize it was a little too much, yet he just stayed quiet instead of leaving.

"What does that mean? Sir?" Gaspar wondered, although he somewhat suspected the answer already. Taking a breath, Tomas decided to confirm it.

"I've defended the good name of the royal family….long before Queen Elsa took the throne," the Prime Minister started. "My entire political career….the only part of my life that's been worth anything for 21 years….has been in service of this family. Or rather….it's dearly departed King and Queen."

With a frown and a bit lip, Van Garrett made himself power through to continue. "You don't know them, but….if _I _didn't know them, I would never have come close to being here. Not in _this _part of the castle, anyway."

The Prime Minister didn't explain any further. He hadn't explained any further than that to anyone for 21 years.

Of course, with "Maurice," he didn't know that he didn't have to.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_The night that changed everything came six months after Princess Elsa was born. The top thieves in Arendelle knew that with the princess taking everyone's attention, the castle was ripe for plundering. Yet it was a newcomer they sent there to prove himself and show he could be one of them._

_The man was in his early 30's, had had no mother or father for years, lost the woman he dreamed of having a family of his own with, and had no other means to make money or live. With nothing left to lose, he jumped at the chance to have anything again._

_To prove himself to the top criminals of Arendelle, he snuck into the castle on this particular night, and had gone undetected thus far. If he stayed undetected while stealing at least a few crown jewels, he would emerge as the newest rising thief in the land. He would have a place and a….quasi-family to call his own again._

_Once he got through the Great Hall, it wouldn't be long now._

_But he didn't account for getting past the King himself. Yet there he was, coming out of the Great Hall – too soon for the would be thief to hide away._

_When he noticed him there, he didn't try to run back into the hall. In fact, he stood in front of the doors and stood his ground. "Who are you?" the King asked, with more surprise and less command than a King would normally use._

_"I, I…." the thief stammered, forgetting all the fake identities and lies he'd planned for such an occasion. None of them involved using them on the King, though. None of them put him in a dire situation like this._

_He should have run away from them and tried to escape the castle. Yet even if got away, he would return a failure. He would have forfeited his last chance to be something, and someone. He might as well have been dead right there._

_At least he could die a hero to some common thugs. That was better than nothing._

_With that suicidal thought, the man actually charged at the King. Yet he still stood there and didn't try to go back into the ballroom. Or call out for his guards._

_He did notice that the thief looked down at his open legs, but he closed them so he couldn't slide between them. This made the thief back away, still looking for a way into the hall, yet the King blocked any routes._

_He was supposed to be a thief. Now he couldn't even get past a King who likely hadn't been around the real world in years. He truly had no dignity left now._

_"Please, just let me pass! You can give me counterfeit jewels, I don't care!" he pleaded. "You'll look more formidable to them!"_

_"Why don't you just go?" the King actually asked. "Why try to go in there and steal something you'll never get away with?"_

_"What else am I supposed to do?" the thief pleaded._

_"I can name a few things that don't involve stealing," the King responded._

_"Well, I can't! Not anymore!" the thief confessed, breaking down. "I didn't want to do this, I swear! If I hadn't lost everything and had everything taken away from me, I wouldn't! This was the last chance I had! If I had any others…."_

_Collapsing to his knees, the thief tried to compose himself otherwise. The King looked back at the doors, but then slowly approached the desperate man._

_"I've never done anything like this, I swear. I've been good all my life. But all it takes is one error to destroy everything. I mean, if everything wasn't already destroyed." Breathing heavily instead of sobbing, he finished, "Please, just let me have something to take to them, and I'll never come back again. I don't want to hurt you or anything….just give me that."_

_The man kept his head down, preparing for the end of his miserable life in some way or form. Yet the King wasn't declaring it over. Not right now, anyway._

_If that wasn't enough, the Queen was emerging from the Great Hall now. The King quickly gestured for her to be quiet, and she didn't question him. In fact, she went over to this stranger now._

_"What's your name?" the Queen asked him._

_Too surprised to lie or do anything else, he answered, "Tomas…..Tomas Van Garrett. Your Highness."_

_What happened next would change Tomas Van Garrett's life, and the political future of Arendelle._

_Instead of putting him in jail, the King and Queen would not charge him for thievery – especially since he hadn't been able to try and steal anything yet. However, they would not let him go to face ridicule or worse from master thieves._

_What they chose to do was let Tomas work off the damage he planned to do. If he needed a chance to rebuild his life, and if he truly didn't have any options without stealing, they would give him one. As such, they led him away from the Great Hall to start the process of making him a personal servant, to one of Arendelle's top politicians._

_Tomas did more than serve this man. He was so amazed to get this second chance, and true act of mercy and kindness, he would do more than that. Over time, he became more than a servant to his new master. He became his mentee._

_He learned so well that six years later, he knew enough to make a run for office himself. Within two more years, with the full backing of the King and Queen, he won a place in government. In fact, he came to office not long before….a certain night that changed Arendelle forever._

_The isolation of Arendelle, for reasons no one understood or could get out of the royal family, had consequences. Frequently, the government and the monarchy were at heated odds in those dark times, and the King and Queen seemed to lose the will to fight – or explain themselves – with every year._

_But their greatest champion only got stronger._

_Over the next 10 years, Tomas Van Garrett rose through the ranks of government, through his sheer force of will in defending the monarchy. Everyone just assumed he loved them because they gave him a job – though no one knew he first met them as a thief. In any case, he informed on every thief that knew him back then, which immediately discredited them once they were arrested._

_Even if no one knew the true scope of his devotion to Gaspar and Malin, they felt the wrath of it in chambers. Even as Arendelle decayed all alone – and even as the royal family did too - Van Garrett sang of their virtues enough to keep the government on their side._

_In many ways, he was their creation. He was the only creation of Gaspar and Malin's who was flowering at the time. The only one who could freely express his bond to them, without being plagued by loneliness or self-hatred._

_On many a day, week, month or year, he was the only real proof that Gaspar and Malin had done something right in all these hard years. The only proof that they could still do good things and change lives for the better._

_They clinged to that, and to what his rise said about them, almost as much as he clinged to them. They really had no choice during the darkest times._

_As such, when reports came out that the King and Queen were gone…..it wasn't just Anna and Elsa that needed courage._

_Unlike them, however, Van Garrett didn't wait three years to find his. He was elected as Prime Minister in just one. By the example of the former King and Queen, it was he who kept their memory alive, and kept Arendelle intact, for the next two years before Coronation Day._

_The day he found out what the King and Queen had kept from him._

_A day that could have come 20 1/2 years earlier._

_What Van Garrett never knew about the night the King and Queen saved his life….was that it was also the night they discovered Elsa's powers._

_It started when Elsa had a cold in her crib – which was surrounded by snowflakes as a result. When her parents brought her to the Great Hall, she kept sneezing until she made a small sheet of ice on the floor. An icy patch the King and Queen tried to scrape off, in private, before the King found Van Garrett._

_An ice patch Van Garrett might have found – along with the Queen and a magical Elsa - if the King let him get by. Ironically, Malin had already gotten Elsa to stop sneezing, and gotten her back to bed, before she met Van Garrett._

_However, they still had to get him far away from the ballroom and Elsa's ice patch. Fortunately, as Gaspar made arrangements for Van Garrett's new job, Malin snuck away and destroyed the icy evidence before anyone else broke in._

_Tomas always thought he was spared and led towards salvation out of the kindness of the royals' heart. It was only 75 percent true. In fact, the King often thought if Tomas broke in the night before, he might have sent him to the dungeons instead._

_That was before the night Gaspar found out how 'special' his little girl was. The night he first feared how she would be cast out and scorned as a monster. The night he saw how one little flaw and defect could destroy an otherwise innocent person._

_Fortunately for Van Garrett, it was also the night the King felt most merciful. And for that mercy - for Elsa, in many ways - Arendelle had its future Prime Minister._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And because of that mercy, former King Gaspar heard this from the current Prime Minister 21 years later.

"When I found out what they'd been hiding all this time….what they _had _to hide….the pain it must have caused them….I loved them all over again. And pitied them," Van Garrett admitted. "But their legacy now lives on in our current Queen. So I will keep defending it and Arendelle to the death. From _all _those who would slander and think less of them."

"And….of the Queen, too?" Gaspar asked with a deliberate even keel.

"It took a while to think that way," the Prime Minister admitted. "But after what she made them suffer through….what all of Arendelle suffered through….what it still struggles with today…." He composed himself and merely finished, "If she was _anyone_ else's daughter…."

Remembering himself, Tomas covered his bases. "But none of that matters. The best interests of Arendelle and its royal family rests with Queen Elsa. Therefore, her glorious reign is in my best interest. And all those who oppose it are….not."

That was a semi ironic way to phrase it at the end.

"I'm glad you're here to support her too. I look forward to seeing Idina support her as well," the Prime Minister praised. "Over time, I hope we can all work together. To help our Queen stay on the right path for Arendelle."

"That's….all I ever wanted, Mr. Van Garrett," Gaspar told him, feeling more conflicting emotions over that sentiment than usual.

"Splendid. I'll let you prepare for your last hours with her this week. Be sure not to burden her too much," Van Garrett advised – even if it didn't completely feel like advice.

In any case, even if he didn't want Elsa 'burdened' with his words, they certainly did enough of it to Gaspar. As if he was burden free already.

Yet his….creation's complete focus on what he and Malin 'suffered' through, without any regard for what Elsa actually suffered through – to say nothing of Anna – was a harsh look in the mirror. If nothing else.

Van Garrett's excuse was slavish devotion and tunnel vision. His idol's excuses – among others – were tunnel vision and cowardice. It had been for his last 10 years on the throne, and it carried over into his first seven days back. To say nothing of the example he set for Malin.

Seeing a reflection of his example in his own….quasi-son/brother was enough.

It was time to have that walk with Malin after all. And to work out much more than a mere work out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time Gaspar and Malin finished walking, talking and sorting things out, it was dinner time. Anna and Elsa were back and eating together, although they were too tired, hungry – and protective of their chocolate supply in their pockets – to expect their parents.

"Oh! Maurice, Idina!" Elsa gathered herself, in case anyone else came by. "What brings you here?"

Inwardly sighing, Gaspar stayed in character and only slightly modified his proposal. "My Queen….tomorrow Idina will begin serving you for the week. And I will serve Princess Anna. It is a very important day for both of us. We would….like to make a special effort."

"We know you two spend the afternoons together," Malin said in character. "But if you can possibly squeeze us in….we would like some real time with you. Given that it's my first day with the Queen, and Maurice's first day with the Princess, and the rest of the castle trusts us now….I'm sure it would look above board."

Anna and Elsa thought about it and realized they might be right. Then when they tried to think of ways they could be wrong, their guilt kicked in. It led Elsa to ask, "How else would this look to you? What would we do?"

"Other than supervising you two in walks around Arendelle…..I've never really explored this land. Or talked with its people," Malin admitted – leaving out how she hadn't done it in 13 years, not forever. Still, it felt about the same. "If the Queen is interested in touring the kingdom, I could supervise her personally."

"And in the meantime, I can accompany the Princess on whatever she'd like to do," Gaspar offered. This filled Elsa and Anna with unease for various reasons.

"That is a very tall request," Elsa answered. "I've always toured Arendelle with Anna. _Never_….without her."

"That's right!" Anna was prepared to cheer – until she remembered what a big step this would be for Elsa. Regardless of what she was leaving behind. "Yeah, that's right….but Idina's even less experienced at it than you. That makes _you_ the experienced one. Maybe that'll help you both out," she resigned herself to admit.

Elsa sighed that rare sigh she used whenever Anna got the better of her. Spending the afternoon touring Arendelle, without Anna and with her mother….that was a treasure trove of potential disasters. It could be a setback on many levels.

Almost as much as chickening out on potential steps forward, because of her parents' influence. Again.

Thank goodness it was rare that Anna had better ideas than her. "So you'd be willing to stay here all afternoon? With Maurice?" Elsa double checked with her anyway.

After a pause, Anna answered, "It would look way too weird if I didn't, wouldn't it?"

How it might make her feel tomorrow was still up in the air.

Ironically, for the first time in over a decade, Gaspar and Malin thought they might like it that way.

**For future reference, picture the voice of Van Garrett as that of Joel Gray – making it a Wicked reunion with Idina. Joel's 25-30 years older than Van Garrett, but remember, Idina is really double Elsa's age too.**


	9. Elsa and the Queen

Elsa stood right outside the castle gates, not quite ready to make the first move into town. As the current queen stayed in place, the former queen arrived at her side – but didn't go any further herself.

The current queen knew this day would come, and part of her had wanted it to all along. The other part of her wished she could hide a while longer, and not have to abandon her safety net. Whether she was thinking that when it came to touring Arendelle without Anna by her side, or about just spending time with her mother, she couldn't say.

Not that Elsa was saying anything out loud anyway. Neither was her mother. Still, it was her and her father's idea, so she should want to move this along.

Elsa turned to her and was close to reminding her – until she actually saw her.

Now that they were all alone without any buffers, Elsa could really take Malin in for the first time since she got back. Of course, it wasn't a fully accurate look, given the wig, the touches of old age makeup and the servant's clothes.

Nevertheless, while the wig was a lighter blonde than Elsa's platinum look, she could still see the family resemblance. Down to the unease and the second thoughts running through Malin's face.

Whether it was because of any unease around her daughter, Elsa didn't know. Perhaps the least she could do was narrow it down.

"You really haven't been out there in 13 years, have you? Not like this. Not since…." Elsa stopped herself from finishing that line of thinking. "You _and _Papa?"

"We tried in the first year. Too many people asked why we closed the gates. We ran out of plausible lies," Malin told her. "From then on, silence and isolation was golden. Back then."

"You shut yourselves out as much as I did…." Elsa pieced together.

"Not completely. We still had to talk to the council and the government. Tomas made sure we didn't have to answer the tougher questions," Malin recalled. "But when it came to the general public…."

"I'm…." Elsa stopped short of saying sorry. Otherwise it'd make it look like – and make it feel like – it was all her fault. Which it technically was. Which proved her point.

"I wouldn't have felt right going out there anyway. Not without you," Malin revealed. "Especially not on a Wednesday."

"A Wednesday?" Elsa questioned. "Why…."

"You don't remember?" Malin sighed. "I suppose that's not a surprise."

"No, no, I should," Elsa tried to assure her. "If I remember so much with Anna before I was eight, I should remember this."

"You remember it so well because you needed to when you were all alone. And lonely. Am I right?" Malin knew she was.

"Yes…." Elsa didn't feel like lying. However, remembering those days triggered memories of others as well. "Those memories….and those of us going shopping in town! We did it every Wednesday!"

"Yes, we did," Malin cracked her first smile. "I made sure to spend one day walking through town every week when I became Queen. It was the first thing I got right on the job. I thought it would help you learn about your people, and squeeze in mother-daughter bonding time while we were at it."

"And we brought Anna once a month," Elsa remembered on her own. "We even avoided collateral damage every three months or so."

"At least she made us get to know the ice cream cone vendors better. Before she was lost to chocolate," Malin recalled.

"She _did_ love ice cream first," Elsa was stunned to look back on. "Does she even remember that?"

"You would know better than I would," Malin couldn't stop herself from saying.

"Still not as much as I'd like," Elsa couldn't stop herself from admitting. And just like that, the scars of the past from both sides were twitching again. At least enough to stop the first real conversation between mother and daughter in over 13 years.

However, a real conversation starter arrived right on time.

"All right, I'm all ready to go!" Olaf announced. "I got my carrot, my arms, legs, butt, my Elsa and Idina, so I'm pretty set! How about you?"

"We're all right, Olaf. Thank you," Elsa greeted, with Malin still not quite at ease around him. However, she did agree to let Olaf come as a buffer for them, in case they couldn't feel comfortable enough on their own together.

If anyone could keep this day from being an awkward one of silence – any non-human, anyway – it was Olaf.

If anything, Olaf was a better tour guide to Arendelle than Elsa. He eagerly pointed out all his favorite spots in the land to Idina – including the saunas, the closed for the winter kite stores, the indoor flower stores, the ice cream carts and the necklace carts. Olaf loved looking at his multiple reflections in necklace pendants, and imagining what each Olaf would be like if they were real.

As Elsa made sure Olaf didn't get carried away too much to put the pendant down, Malin recalled more memories. "Is this the same place….?"

"Excuse me?" the vendor showed himself. This actually confirmed Malin's question – and made her remember to put on her Idina voice.

"I, um….heard from the Queen that the….former Queen came here all the time," Malin said as Idina. "She liked to admire how your necklaces looked just as pretty, and had more character, than the ones in the stores. I even heard she bought a few for her own daughters, so they could wear them in between parties and outings. She….supposedly thought it was a way to keep them grounded."

"You supposed right," the vendor admitted. "The queen remembers a lot about her. That's very good to hear."

"Yes. She remembers everything. All too well," Malin commented as she saw Elsa supervising Olaf. Whether Malin was referring to the old or new queen, she couldn't tell.

But if she kept seeing carts and stores and people that were still around after 13 years, she could put off telling the difference a while longer. Fortunately, a few familiar faces and places helped the next half-hour go by. Even Elsa seemed too distracted to be too apprehensive at times.

She truly got distracted by the next shop ahead. "Now _this _I remember…." Elsa pointed to the candy shop nearby.

"Yes. Your father made sure we stopped here every Wednesday, no matter what," Malin said quietly, in case their onlookers had good hearing.

"Wait…._Papa _was the one who loved chocolate first," Elsa recalled. "He kept making us buy it there, until we finally gave in and tried it!"

"_Then_ he felt safe telling us he'd snuck Anna pieces for weeks," Malin reminded her. "She was already so hyper, we didn't suspect a thing. I know I didn't, but why didn't you? You were closest to her."

"That was one of my biggest failures before I was eight. I'll admit that," Elsa conceded – before realizing she mentioned her being eight, in front of her mother, as….part of a joke. That was a weird change of pace. Using the horrors of the past as part of a joke.

She expected to feel awkward, ashamed and uneasy around her mother by now, right on cue. But it hadn't come yet. Still, it probably would in about a second or two, so she quickly offered, "Let's go see if they still have your favorite."

Before Malin could agree, however, she felt something strike her neck. Something wet and cold. "Sorry, I let that get away from me!" she heard a young voice say, then heard several small footsteps.

Those footsteps, and the young kids that made them, froze and feared for being frozen when they saw who Malin was with. They put down their snowballs and bowed to Elsa, while muttering apologies and passing the buck of blame.

"It's all right, kids," Elsa let them off the hook, after checking to see Malin was fine.

"So, if it's fine….can you do the magic and teach us how to _really _throw snowballs?" the kid who threw the errant snowball asked, to which his friends all cheered and pleaded like Anna. Who had always been around to make Elsa feel safe about using her powers for children. But not this time.

That little bit of hesitation left room for Olaf to join the crowd.

"Hey, can I play?" Olaf asked. "I don't feel super weird in snowball fights anymore, so I'm good!"

"Wow, a snowman making and killing snowballs, that's even better!" one of the other kids exclaimed.

"As long as you don't draw smiley faces on them first, I'm great. Kristoff tried it and Anna didn't kiss him for a week!" Olaf admitted. "And he was just getting good moving his jaw up and down and everything!"

"Smiley face on Kristoff's snowballs….I might need to borrow that move," Elsa muttered, although Malin heard and snickered. At that shared moment of overprotectiveness and unease over Anna learning to French kiss, Elsa got a better idea.

"Olaf, you go ahead to the park and play with them. We'll meet you as soon as we're done in the chocolate store," Elsa offered.

"Wait, _we're_? As in just us two?" Malin double checked this potential breakthrough.

"I'm sure we can behave in a chocolate store by ourselves," Elsa expressed confidence.

Five sets of free samples later, it was a close call.

Yet they still kept their sugar rush under control by the time they found the park, where Olaf was playing around with the kids. After finding a bench, the two queens sat down and watched, like any other….quasi-mother and quasi-meemaw would watch their talking snowman play in a park.

However, the peaceful silence – rather than awkward silence, for once – was interrupted when Malin asked, "Why did you come here?"

"I'm sorry?" Elsa wasn't sure she heard right.

"This was my idea, not yours. I know you were reluctant for a few reasons," Malin recounted. "Yet you're here now, and it looks like you're okay with it so far. What made you take the leap in the first place? It wasn't just because we forced your hand….right?"

If they were indeed having their first bonding moment in over a decade, Malin wished it hadn't been built on forcing Elsa into it. Like she'd been forced into every single thing she'd ever done in her life – at least the life Malin had been a part of. That sure made it seem like less of a new start.

Yet Elsa answered, "You were more nervous than I was. Like Anna said, _I'm _the experienced one among us here. At least in the new Arendelle. If you're….planning to stay in it, you should have more help fitting in. I was…."

Elsa turned away from Malin to look at a playing Olaf, which Malin took to mean as a setback. If she couldn't look at her for whatever reason, it had to be. Flashes of all those times a younger Elsa turned away from her, so she wouldn't touch her or make her nervous, ran through her mind – and made Malin curse ever getting those memories back.

However, Elsa surprised her once again with her actual reasons.

"It's like Olaf said. Or rather, what Anna told me he said. Love is putting someone else's needs before your own," Elsa quoted. "So I put your needs and your fears before mine."

It was the closest Elsa came to admitting she still loved her. Malin savored that as long as she could, until she analyzed her and Olaf's words closer. "Putting someone else's needs before your own…..you've been doing that your entire life already. For so many reasons," Malin realized.

"No I haven't," Elsa said. Without realizing the importance of actually talking about this to a parent for the first time, she told her mother, "I put Anna's need for safety above my...my whole life. But what she really _needed _was a sister. A friend. Someone to show her she was loved. That she could love back too. And the bitter irony is…."

Elsa paused, if only so she wouldn't start crying in front of her mother, or get herself noticed by the happy kids. She knew she should probably pause to stop herself from talking any further – a lifetime of concealing told her that. A lifetime halfway embodied by the woman sitting next to her.

Yet that somehow made it more important to keep going.

"The irony is I needed her more this whole time. I still do. I mean, this is the first time I'm talking to regular people, as just _me_, without her," Elsa told Malin. "Six months, and I _still_ don't know how to be normal, or happy, or a….actual human being….without Anna there." Speaking more quietly, she muttered, "No one's shown me how for a long time."

Elsa caught herself before her voice got more bitter than sad. Since she didn't catch herself before saying those…..accusatory words to her own mother, she felt an instinctual feeling of guilt. "I'm sorry, that was too much. I shouldn't have gone that far," she found herself saying.

"That's how you feel," Malin said, her own voice slightly strangled. "You're actually _apologizing _for feeling something. Something you have every right to feel. _That's_ what we did to you….."

Forgetting she was supposed to be Idina, and the former queen, and whatever else she was pretending to be, Malin let herself feel like….just a _mother _for maybe the first time in years.

A mother who stood by and let her daughter all but destroy herself. A mother who couldn't run from that simple fact, and all it implied about the past, present and future, for much longer. Who _shouldn't_, really.

"Elsa…." Malin nearly croaked out. But before she could say or cry any more, the voice of Olaf broke up this potentially hazardous moment.

"Hey, are you guys watching? We're arm sword fighting!" Olaf declared – as one of the kids was holding Olaf's right stick arm, and dueling with Olaf's attached left arm like they were swords.

The emotional adults figured this bizarre, innocent, childish moment would be nice to help calm them down. Or run away from their scars for just a few seconds longer. One of those things.

Their moment of bravery having passed, the two queens went back to watching the kids and snowman play. The silence between them didn't feel so quiet or peaceful, however. Yet it still drowned out the sounds of the happy children in their minds.

However, they did hear some of the little boy and Olaf's arm sword fight. They heard Olaf's arms clang and bang together harder and harder, until Olaf's left arm literally got pulled apart from his body.

It flew over and landed a few feet away, with the boy racing Olaf to get it. Then when the boy won the race and had both of Olaf's arms – he took the left one that he won and broke it in half.

"Ha, I'm the only one with a sword now! I win!" the boy cheered.

"Wait….that's not a sword now. That's my arm," Olaf remembered, as everyone started to realize what actually happened. Including the boy.

"HEY!"

The furious chill of Queen Elsa's voice – and the chill and wind that followed her as she marched towards the kids – clued them in too.

"WHAT did you do to my snowman?" Elsa spoke with righteous fury.

"I, I, I forgot it was a real arm for a second. I didn't mean to, I just wanted to win…." the boy stammered. "Please let me say goodbye to my family before you freeze me!"

Elsa was tempted to take him up on that offer, or just freeze him on the spot. However, the one smart word he used – family – reminded her that better things had to come first right now. "Go back to them _now_, and I'll forget the freezing part," she gave him her mercy.

"I will! I will, thank you!" the boy took the offer and ran, without even looking back at Olaf.

"The rest of us are sorry, Queen Elsa! We're sorry, Olaf!" a girl in the crowd promised, before the rest of the kids joined in. With that as an added help, Elsa began to feel less frosty.

"It's not your fault," Elsa let them know. "It's mine," she went back to her other common feeling – blaming herself. "I stopped watching him for a moment, and this is what happened."

"You can fix it, right?" one of the other boys asked. "Can't you fix it with magic?"

"My magic is over snow and ice, not wood," Elsa answered.

"But how'd you make those arms come to life the first time? Can't you do it again?" the girl wondered.

"I was carried away with emotions and….freedom I didn't understand back then," Elsa explained. "I can't bring a broken wooden arm back to life. I just have to find a new one. I don't even know how I found the last ones!"

"We can help! We can look around the park and everything!" a second girl volunteered.

"No, we've taken up enough of your time," Elsa dismissed. "You should go find your parents and families. This is my mess to clean up."

"We don't mind, we promise!" another boy insisted.

"He's my snowman, I have to fix this…." Elsa began to say. Yet before she could finish saying she had to do this alone, she somehow imagined how Anna would say the opposite if she was here.

How she'd tell her once again that she didn't have to do everything alone anymore. In spite of a lifetime telling herself – and being told – otherwise.

"We can split up," Malin interrupted Elsa's thoughts on imaginary and real Anna. "We can each take groups through the park, collect sticks, and see which ones can turn into arms."

That offer to help a snowman she was still kind of creeped out by….resonated with Elsa. It might even help take the burden off a little. But it wasn't the right move – albeit not for the reasons Elsa first thought.

"No. We have to find a stick that's the same size as Olaf's left arm. He needs to be there so we can match them up," Elsa reasoned. "So we might as well all go together."

With that, Elsa found the strength – or at least reduced her pride and martyrdom – to let the kids and Malin come with her to find Olaf's new arm. However, the sticks they found at first were either too big or too small to match his unbroken arm. They also had to find twigs small enough to serve as his fingers, which was another tricky search onto itself.

By the time they finished searching half of the park, Elsa was struggling not to give up hope. Letting this happen on her watch, on her first day out with her mother – a day Olaf never should have been part of, if Elsa had been brave enough to come alone with Malin in the first place – was a hard situation to find hope in.

"What if I never hug again?" she heard in the middle of her budding spiral.

It was the first words Olaf said since he became a one-armed snowman. That and the content of those words pushed all other thoughts out of Elsa's mind.

"Olaf, you don't have to think like that," Elsa tried to get at least one of them to believe.

"What if I gotta?" Olaf asked. "I can't give warm hugs with one arm. And giving warm hugs is one of the big things you made me for! Anna said it was because you never had warm hugs, and missed getting them and giving them so much. She sounded pretty convincing."

"She can be convincing about a lot of things," Elsa sidestepped just how….particularly convincing that sounded.

"So If you made me for hugs and I can't give them anymore….what'll I do then?" Olaf questioned. "What'll you even need me for then?"

Elsa kneeled right in front of Olaf, needing him to hear this face to face. "For a _lot _more than hugs," she insisted forcefully. "You're the first….good, happy, wonderful thing I _ever _made with my powers. You saved Anna's life, and my own, by freeing her from Hans. I don't care if you have one arm or seven, I am _not _going to stop needing you."

"Even if you need to keep me away from you?" Olaf asked, sounding too innocent to make that the low blow it could have been from anyone else.

"I don't want you away from me, or Anna, or anyone. I promise you," Elsa vowed. "I'll give you twice as many hugs every day if I have to. But there's nothing you could lose, and nothing you could do or not do, to make me push you away. I need you to understand that and believe me. Believe _in _me, and you."

"Well…." Olaf reached his good arm up to his head to scratch it. "Hold on, the other arm was the head scratching one. I can get a hang of this…." he muttered before he finally did. Once that was taken care of, he could say, "Okay. I can try."

"I know you can," Elsa began to smile. "No matter what happens, I know you're gonna be a brave little guy. Aren't you?"

She meant to bat his carrot nose playfully, but she didn't know her own strength. It went halfway through Olaf's head, then a sneeze from him made it fly out the back of his head and near a tree. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Elsa apologized quickly.

"Hold on, I can get it!" one of the girls nearby volunteered. Olaf then went over to help, not plagued by self-doubt anymore – whether he inherited that little trait from Elsa as well or not.

Yet the master of self doubt found a way to hold it back for another person. It was rare enough for her to do that for herself, and without Anna. But to give someone else confidence and assurance that he would always be loved, no matter how different he was….

Before Elsa questioned where she got that from, she heard a cheer. "I think I got it!" the girl declared.

Not only had she found Olaf's carrot nose near the tree, she also found what looked like a perfectly sized stick. Elsa ran over, took it and put it side by side with Olaf's left arm – and it looked perfect. It might be a half inch or so shorter, but it wasn't that noticeable.

"I kept some of the smaller twigs," Malin said, pulling them out from her pockets. "Will they do for fingers?"

"I'll let you know in a second," Elsa answered. First she had to settle a bigger issue.

When she made Olaf in the mountains, she wasn't aware of a specific technique she used to make his wooden arms come alive. The best idea she had now was to just put the stick below his bare right shoulder, and hope his magic would make it come to life on its own.

It turned out to be a pretty good idea. And when Elsa took Malin's twigs and put them against the end of the stick, it worked fine as well. Soon, Olaf had two working, huggable arms and sets of fingers again.

"Yeah! Best second arm ever! It's probably better than half your first arms!" Olaf celebrated, then tested his arm by hugging the girl who found it. "Hugs as good as 80 percent of them too, I'd figure!"

"Maybe I should help you test that next," Elsa offered. Olaf took the offer by jumping into Elsa's arms. She didn't even flinch – not like she would have before – as her arms went around him too.

"Thanks, Elsa," Olaf said quietly.

"Anytime, sweetie. Don't you doubt that," Elsa said warmly. Once they let go of each other, she added, "You know, there's one other way to test how it'll hold up."

With that, Elsa put Olaf's own little flurry back over his head. He didn't need it today since the weather was naturally cold enough, but they could ignore that right now. Olaf certainly did, as he raised his new arm to touch his falling snowflakes and clouds, and it seemed to hold up fine.

The kids looked wowed at the results, which made Elsa remember to be wowed at them too. "Thank you to all of you for your help. You served the queen and the kingdom with great distinction today. You can tell your parents and family I told you that myself." After a pause, she continued, "But don't go looking for them for another five minutes."

"How come?" one of the other girls asked.

"So I can keep an eye on the new clouds in the sky," Elsa rhymed – before creating a personal snow cloud and flurry above every child's head, just like Olaf's.

The kids loved it and loved playing around with snow raining down on them. Nevertheless, five minutes was probably all it would take for them to get a cold – they weren't as immune to it as snowmen were. At least that's how Elsa assumed it worked.

Yet the kids didn't pout too much when Elsa dissolved their snow clouds. They still thanked her and Malin, hugged Olaf and went to pass on word of their service to their families. Olaf then went off to pass some of it on and do push ups with his new arm himself – leaving Elsa and Malin alone again.

"That was….hard to believe," Malin exclaimed.

"You get desensitized to floating snow clouds after a while," Elsa promised.

"Not that. Not the magic. I mean the way you were with them, and with Olaf," Malin clarified. "Especially the way you were with Olaf."

"He needed to know he'd still be loved. So I put those needs first," Elsa explained.

"It's not just that. It wasn't just putting his needs over your own. His needs _were _your own," Malin tried to explain. "I mean….when you calmed him down, and when you thanked those kids, you looked so much like….like…."

"Like what?" Elsa interrupted, honestly unaware of where she was going with this.

"Like a _mother_," Malin cleared up. "I know you're technically his mother already. But you….really acted like it."

"It wasn't an act," Elsa got suspicious. "Are you _surprised _I could be that way? Feel that way?"

"Yes and no," Malin started. "I'm not surprised because you've always been that way."

"You know that's not true," Elsa reminded her.

"I'm sorry, but it is," Malin wasn't sorry. "I remember all those times you sung Anna to sleep when she was a newborn. When you took extra special care of that doll Anna. When you tried to make us believe _you _tipped over vases, not Anna. You were so….protective and eager to defend her, and care for those around you, right from the start."

Elsa couldn't argue with that, and suspected Malin wasn't done anyway, so there was no point interrupting. She was right.

"_That's _what made me feel safe about you having powers back then. It's what made me think you would be a good queen and sister, even with them. I knew you were too protective and caring to let anything happen to her. Or anyone else. I trusted that would be enough to make you control them," Malin reflected, before her reflections turned darker.

"So when that night happened anyway, I felt so…._naive_," she remembered. "I felt so foolish. Foolish enough to listen to trolls. To do anything to make sure I wasn't that….neglectful with your safety again. If I thought your capacity for love and protection was enough before, I stopped believing it then." She paused and thought deeper. "Or maybe I didn't."

"How does that work?" Elsa finally spoke up.

"Maybe I thought since you'd do anything to keep everyone safe….you could handle the isolation. That you were strong enough to hold it in," Malin recalled. "That it _would _be enough to make you endure it all. But I was wrong. Wasn't I?"

"You already heard it from Anna," Elsa brushed aside, still uncomfortable with admitting her own feelings about it. Or acknowledging them. Especially in front of her parents – especially right now, even with Malin sharing so much.

"The most important thing about you was never your magic," Malin seemed to move on – maybe. "It was how much you cared. How you'd do anything to make others happy and safe. And….we twisted that amazing thing about you against you, didn't we? We made your greatest qualities into the _true _curse that kept you locked up. And alone. And terrified of who you were. But…."

Malin sniffled a few times before making herself face the next, truly important part. "But even after everything you went through….you're _still _that same caring, protective woman. We didn't take that away from you. You're still as…._motherly _and loving as you were since the day you were born."

The final tragic twist came to Malin when she finished, "And so few people know that. Because they just think you're the Snow Queen. Because we kept the _real _you from everyone….from _you_ too. But she's still there. Somehow we _didn't_ kill her. No matter how close we came."

If Malin spoke one more word, she would probably break down. Then it would be hard to explain why the Queen was dealing with a crying servant. Why she was even putting up with one at all.

As if it wasn't hard enough to understand why she was putting up with Malin.

"I think I need to go home," Malin braved herself to say those words. And forget that 'home' wasn't even the castle anymore. Home wasn't with her daughters anymore. Home was something she and Gaspar threw away long ago – and pretty much threw their own daughters away too.

"Okay, then," was all Elsa could say without breaking down, running away or demanding more. She couldn't decide what she wanted more, and she still wasn't quite brave enough to try and figure it out. Malin had already been far too overwhelming for her to handle.

So even after all those words and sentiments, neither of them could handle any more. They just went back to the castle, went their separate ways without a word, and were vague when they talked about their day to Anna and Gaspar. They even ignored what Anna and Gaspar said about their own day together, if they said anything at all.

Elsa managed to block out the world until it was time for bed. She got dressed and under the covers, comforted in the knowledge that she could block out her emotions in the quiet dead of bedtime. Her mother helped ensure she had years of practice.

And may have regretted it as much as Elsa had all along.

That should have been a great thing for Elsa to realize, but it wasn't. In fact, it only made the fact that she regretted it that much, and let it happen anyway, even worse. Leaving aside whether her father felt the same way….

Sleep didn't quiet down her conflicted thoughts and emotions. It was a knock on the door that did it instead. In fact, it was Anna's knock.

"What could she want?" Elsa grumbled, feeling prematurely resentful that Anna was just going to make things harder for her. Then again, if Elsa had such a hard time working through her day with Malin, she could imagine how Anna would feel after her day with Gaspar.

That was the only reason why Elsa could make herself get up and open the door. But the one behind it wasn't Anna.

"Ma – I mean, Idina?" Elsa barely covered up and stayed quiet.

"No one's watching, I checked. Trust me," Malin whispered before sneaking into the room.

"What are you doing here?" Elsa still whispered. "Does _anyone _know you're here?"

"Your father and Kristoff were asleep when I left the cottage," Malin informed her. "And this is Sven's night in the stables anyway."

"Yes. It's good for him to have nights off from Kristoff. Makes him more independent," Elsa tried to stretch out, but couldn't anymore.

"You stopped letting us come in here at night when you were 14," Malin called back. "We said goodnight from behind the door after that. We even had to stay there on those nights you'd just had nightmares. The one we knew of, anyway."

"The floor was too slippery by then," Elsa weakly defended.

"There was a time you would have wanted comfort and warmth anyway. A time you would have let yourself get tucked in, lulled to sleep, and feel safe and loved in your own bed. But it was taken from you," Malin stated.

"Did you come here just to remind me?" Elsa tried to ask without being accusatory. Yet her potential resentment crumbled when Malin's face did.

"I came to tell you I'm sorry," Malin told her.

The tears fell slowly as Malin's words gathered steam. "You don't have to forgive me. Or us. Not yet. But _someone _needed to apologize to you. I know I waited too long, then and now, but….I didn't think a sorry would be enough. _Nothing's _enough for what I let happen to my little girl….but I couldn't just say _nothing_ anymore."

The tears fell faster as Malin fell to her knees in front of Elsa. Fell to her knees in a way no queen was ever taught to do. "I know this isn't queenly behavior. But I'm rusty at it," Malin semi-joked in between tears. "I'm rusty, I'm not even _myself _anymore…..I'm nothing. I'm nothing and you're so much stronger and better and loving than all of us….and I'm sorry you had to have _me _for a mom…."

And that did it. That brought on the uncontrollable sobs. The need for Malin to bury her face into Elsa's shoulder to muffle them. The need to hug her own daughter, by herself, for the first time in so long. The need to keep saying "I'm so sorry," until Elsa could possibly believe it.

And it brought on the knowledge that the toll Elsa suffered from behind the door….wasn't _that _much greater than the suffering Malin endured in front of it.

It nearly broke Elsa when she realized that about Anna month ago. It also made her more committed to make sure Anna would never feel that way again.

She wasn't sure if this realization could, or should, be enough to make her forgive her mother. She hadn't even brought herself to start trying with her father yet

All she knew was that she didn't want Malin to suffer like this anymore. It made her as protective as Malin said she always was.

Yet Elsa still wasn't used to being someone who could make _other people _happy and less alone. She wasn't used to being like Anna. She wasn't used to believing she was the strong one who was capable of lifting anyone's spirits. Not instead of crumbling them with neglect and a lack of courage to share herself.

But like she had with Olaf today, Elsa forgot those negative instincts. She put someone else's needs above her own scars and inexperience.

Because someone needed her even more than she needed them now. And she couldn't let loved ones down anymore.

So for the first time since she was eight years old, Elsa let herself be there for her mother.

All she could say was "Mama," hold her as she cried, and keep her own tears quiet in case someone was in the halls.

But it was still enough to make her feel like a daughter again.

To finally make her feel like she could have a mother again.


	10. Anna and the King 1

**This one chapter on Anna and Gaspar's day together got away from me. So I'm splitting it into two parts, with part 2/chapter 11 coming tomorrow.**

Anna loved having all the free time in the world, and not having to do boring queen stuff like Elsa. At least she did every day but today.

Today she had to be around her father, without Elsa, her mother, Kristoff, Olaf, Sven or any other buffer between them. Just her overwhelming feelings to both hug him to death, and actually death him to death.

Anna tried to sleep in after her morning hug with Elsa - but of course, this was the one day she woke up again before 11 a.m. Kristoff could have been a help, but he and Sven actually had work today. He even reminded her to be careful with her father, because "I actually have to live with him."

When her boyfriend was gone, and her sister, mother and snowman followed, there was just Anna and Gasper. Without any actual royal duties, Anna didn't know how to pass the time with him.

Other than hug him or yell at him – and Anna knew she'd hate herself afterwards for both.

With nothing better to do, Anna hung around outside Kristoff's cottage, then tried to nap next to Olaf's igloo. Gaspar went back in the cottage, sitting near the window and waiting for Anna to go somewhere else. Whether she wanted him to follow or not.

Anna's strategy to run out the clock didn't work for long. Finally, Gaspar came out and approached his daughter, holding something in his fists.

"I found these in the kitchen yesterday," Gaspar started. "I figured I should hand them over now before I forget. Even if it's still lunchtime."

Gaspar unclenched his hands to reveal several small pieces of chocolate. "You seemed to like these brands when I snuck them to you 14 years ago. No matter what's changed over the years, their deliciousness hasn't."

Anna already knew that, and proved it by eating them with half her lunches per week – which was down from six lunches a week last year. She'd been too distracted to get them today, though, so this did help.

Then again, he was probably buying her off by reminding her of his past glories. One of the few that hadn't been tainted by lying to her for 10 years. Yet what else could he do but go with what worked before? No matter how inadequate it was in the big picture.

Great, he got her thinking that lunchtime chocolate was inadequate. This really was sad. Too sad for Anna to say anything but "Thanks" as she devoured the chocolate anyway. Albeit with less passion and less of a mess than usual – which really made Gaspar feel distressed.

If even chocolate couldn't break the ice between them…..

But ice wasn't a problem for Anna when it came to Elsa, apparently. That thought led Gaspar to try a far different and risker tactic. "Can I ask you something?" he started carefully.

"Sure. You don't have to ask permission, I'm not that kind of boss. No matter what Idina said," Anna joked, feeling some last-second relief before Gaspar spoke again.

"Me and your mother….weren't the only ones that lied to you. Elsa technically lied for three more years than we did," Gaspar inwardly cringed at how he phrased that. Anna outwardly frowned at it too.

"Was that a question?" Anna asked.

"I'm getting to it," Gaspar assured her. "You also know by now that Kai knew too. Gerda was also brought in before long. But that's two more people who were close to you, and yet lied to you every day."

Gaspar let Anna ponder that before continuing, "I'm also sure Elsa told you it was her idea too. That she made herself stay in her room much more than we forced her to. Especially in the later years."

"Right, and?" Anna inquired.

"And yet you forgave her instantly. From what I understand, you forgave her fast enough to….die for her," Gaspar forced himself to recall. "It doesn't appear you have hard feelings towards Kai and Gerda, either."

As Anna pieced his point together, Gaspar confirmed it. "You forgave Elsa for shutting you out and lying to you longer than we ever did. You play with her and love her now as if nothing ever happened. You worship her even after all the pain she caused you."

Anna could have yelled at him for laying so much blame on Elsa, and perhaps she should have. Yet the fact she wasn't might have been a promising sign. The fact she was struggling to look at him wasn't.

Changing tone, if not tactics, Gaspar corrected, "I'm not blaming her, or you. I just want to know. I _need_ to know. If it was so easy for you to forgive and love her again, why is it so easy for you_ not _to forgive and love us too?"

"You think it's _easy_?" Anna finally couldn't stop herself. "You think I _like _this? You're my parents and you're _alive_….and you think I _haven't _wanted to hug you and cry and never let you go again, every minute of every day?"

"You could have fooled us," Gaspar proclaimed.

"That's the problem! You're still fools!" Anna choked out. "If you _really_ think it isn't killing me to stay away from you….you don't know me. Just like you _never _knew Elsa."

"Maybe I don't know you," Gaspar admitted. "The Anna I used to know never….held back like this. Even when we were lying to her. No matter how much those last 10 years hurt. You still smiled and loved us and loved everything you could."

"And look where that got me," Anna started to remind him. "I was going to marry a man after one afternoon. He lied to me and hurt me for just _one day_, and it really hurt….even after I punched him and stopped freezing. But you guys lied to me and hurt me for _years_."

"He meant to do that. We didn't," Gaspar defended.

"And you did it anyway," Anna shot back. "If a stranger I thought I loved hurt me that much for a _day_….can you imagine how it feels coming from you? And her? For _10 years_? You were all I had left to love, in the _whole world…._and even _you _were hurting me by lying every single day."

"So did Elsa!" Gaspar got desperate enough to remind her.

"But I _know_ she's sorry! I don't know if you are!" Anna accused.

"How can you even _suggest _that?" Gaspar gasped.

"I don't know you anymore. Or her. I can suggest anything at this point," Anna claimed. "_You _didn't even know you until three months ago! And you _still_ think you did the right thing."

"We did the _only _thing that was possible at the time. If we couldn't think of anything else, it's because we were so afraid of losing you. Because we loved you _so much_,' Gaspar stressed. "All of us did."

"I know Elsa loves me. She proved it to me," Anna answered. "No matter how hard it was, she proved it. And it _was_ painful. Even after the freeze."

"What do you mean?" Gaspar questioned.

"You think everything was that easy after the thaw? You think what you did didn't _keep_ scarring her? And me? You think it's _easy _for me to hold back my love?" Anna questioned, without letting Gaspar answer.

"If Elsa didn't set you straight, I guess I have to."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_There was a brief period of bliss after Elsa let go of her parents, and told Anna the full truth about their past. But it only lasted a few days. That's when the real work of rebuilding Arendelle began. That's when the real work of being Queen began._

_That when the reality of freezing crops, ruined homes, cutting off trading partners, and opening up Arendelle after 13 years of isolation kicked in. Solving these problems couldn't happen overnight, if it was possible at all. Even an experienced leader couldn't see an easy way out – much less an isolated Queen getting her first taste of outside life for 13 years._

_All the training in the world couldn't prepare Elsa for these challenges. Her parents certainly never gave her a guide – even if she could have let them in – because all they did was make her conceal. They and Elsa were so determined not to let it go, they never considered what they'd do after she did._

_Now it would ruin her and Arendelle even worse than the Great Freeze had. With the recovery stalled, the people fully realizing the long term damage of the freeze, and little help from other kingdoms Arendelle hadn't contacted in years, it was all too much to bear._

_It was too much for Elsa to do anything else but work around the clock for solutions. Which meant there was precious little time for Anna._

_But after getting a taste of an open, honest and loving Elsa for a while, losing her again was not something she was prepared for either._

_The longer Elsa dealt with impossible problems that she was to blame for, the more she lamented that she had no solutions for them. And the more she hated how incapable she was of even knowing how to solve them – and how everyone knew it. Most of all herself._

_Meanwhile, the longer Anna dealt with not having Elsa around again, the more she felt shut out all over again. And the more she hated herself for being a fool yet again, after just a day or two of being swept off her feet, by someone who claimed to love her and love open doors._

_So when Anna got desperate enough to knock on the door in the middle of a council meeting - and sing a very familiar song about building a snowman - it didn't go over the way she hoped._

_Ironically, one could say things boiled over after that. Once Elsa got a minute of free time, that is._

_Anna spent that minute and more reminding her that she was shutting her out again. Then she pleaded with her to talk about what she was going through. She urged Elsa to let her in, and that she didn't have to do everything alone anymore._

_But after weeks of work that told her everything was her fault – and years of conditioning herself to blame herself for everything – Elsa wasn't capable of believing her. Just like she wasn't capable of going outside to see the damage she caused yet. Or of finding ways to fix it. Or of wasting time with building snowmen when she had to somehow save Arendelle._

_Or of being able to face Anna after using that poor choice of words._

_But in her desperation to get away, be alone and block Anna's pleas out, she used an even worse choice of words. "Go away, Anna!"_

_She didn't unleash her powers after Anna pushed her this time. Yet this still hurt 20 times worse. For both of them – but Anna was too hurt to see Elsa's pain._

_"Fine. I'll go away. That's all you ever really wanted me to do," Anna accused. "You didn't have to trick me into thinking you wanted more. Like he did! But fine….I guess I should finally give you what you always wanted. To be alone and miserable forever!"_

_Anna stormed out before checking to see if a storm gathered behind her. But if Elsa set off a winter or turned the halls to ice, no one told her. They let her stay in her room, and she was content to not be lured out._

_She didn't know how long it was until someone finally knocked on the door. She was still stewing enough in her own anger, guilt and betrayal to tell Elsa off, if it was Elsa. Instead, she opened the door for Prime Minister Van Garrett instead._

_"Oh! Mr. Prime Minister, right?" Anna recollected, bowing down just in case._

_"Princess Anna," Van Garrett greeted, holding out a large folder of forms. "The Queen left her meetings early, before she could get these reports. Please give these to her the next time you see her."_

_"Then she's never gonna get them. I hope you know that," Anna said bitterly._

_"What I know is she's in no mood to be disturbed. But she needs these reports. For her sake and Arendelle's, it would probably go better if you handed them over," Van Garrett predicted. "You have a better chance of surviving it."_

_"That's ironic," Anna realized, given that Elsa almost killed her twice. And never stopped hating herself for it. But that didn't fit into her hating Elsa narrative right now, so Anna brushed it off by taking the files._

_Once Van Garrett left, Anna impulsively read the files that took Elsa away from her this time. Then she read what was really going on._

_Anna had spent all her time since the thaw exploring, playing, getting to know Kristoff, Sven and Olaf, and waiting for Elsa to come play with her. As such, the actual problems of the outside world, and of Elsa's, were unfamiliar to her._

_After 10 minutes of reading, Anna wished they still were. She wished it after five, but she made herself read on anyway._

_After all, Elsa had to read about them, surround herself with them and force herself to fix them every minute of every day._

_And here Anna was bugging her about snowmen._

_Before she felt too guilty to move, Anna got herself out of her room and onwards to Elsa's. Once she got to her door, she prepared to knock – before remembering how knocking had gone for her before._

_With that, the old anger returned and made her think Elsa should do the knocking this time, if she really wanted her precious files._

_It was broken up when she heard a scream and a crash from behind the door._

_Anna almost barged in then and there, but she knew she couldn't break the door down. She wanted to knock, but the old fear of knocking was still too strong. So she compromised and just peeked through the keyhole to see Elsa._

_What she saw was Elsa pacing around her cold bedroom, next to what looked like half of a broken ice statue. "Get it together…." she muttered. "Stay calm….don't feel, don't….no!"_

_Elsa turned around, her back turned to Anna's eye. Yet for once, her back wasn't straight and regel with perfect posture. It was hunched over like it was when she tried to run from Anna's pleas at the ball, seconds before….before Anna forced her into showing her powers._

_Was that what Anna did all over again today? Pushed her and pushed her into being rash? Ignoring how broken up Elsa really was? Letting her own pain blind her to what Elsa was going through again? As if those reports hadn't confirmed it enough?_

_"You have to feel…." Elsa told herself, snapping Anna out of it. "You have to learn how to feel….you have to let her in. You have to talk to her and save Arendelle.…even if you don't know how."_

_Straightening herself up a little, Elsa turned back to the broke piece of ice. With her powers, she made it a full statue again – a statue of Anna._

_An icy statue of Anna, not unlike the one she hugged on the fjord. The one that would have stayed frozen forever, if love had never thawed._

_Elsa and Anna's worst nightmare recreated. And Elsa was recreating it now. Even as Anna could barely look at it. But she put her eye back against the keyhole anyway, to see if Elsa would make sense of this._

_"All right….face your fear," Elsa told herself and the Anna statue. "Tell this Anna something. Anything. If you can't tell this frozen Anna, how can you tell the real one? How can you fix a whole kingdom you almost destroyed, if you can't open up to her? Even now?"_

_Forcing herself to go face to face with ice Anna's frozen face, Elsa kept muttering, "Just….please have courage. For the first time in forever, just be brave….just fix something, please. Please…you can't make her look so….ashamed to believe in you again. You can't….so stop being afraid of this and talk to her!"_

_Instead of being inspired to share with ice Anna, Elsa lashed out and blasted the top half of her again. After getting a hold of herself, she groaned, "No, not like that!" and sunk to her knees in front of the statue's remains._

_"You don't even know how to share with….the only person in the world who believes in you. Who already died for you. No wonder you don't know how to fix a kingdom," Elsa told herself. "What do I really know, anyway?"_

_Anna knew a few things now. She might never stop hating herself for not knowing them sooner now. "Oh Elsa, I'm so sorry…." she whispered._

_Elsa was struggling not to fall back on old habits, but Anna already fell back on hers. Mainly, the one where her own fears of abandonment made her ignore that Elsa was suffering too – to the point where all she did was make it worse. When the whole world was already making it worse for her._

_When the only person who ever believed in her was making it worse._

_"Just one more time," she heard Elsa speak as she got up. "At least try one more time. Say one real thing to ice Anna, so you can try with the real thing. If you ever stop letting Arendelle down too, anyway."_

_And there it was. As much as she was struggling, she was still trying. As beaten down as she was, she wasn't giving up._

_She was putting herself through the torture again, just for the hope that it would make her do better and be better – as a sister, and a queen. She was facing her guilt all over again, because she wanted so badly not to make anything worse._

_She'd been doing that for 13 years already. And Anna had the gall to believe – and tell her – that all Elsa wanted was to be alone and miserable. When she'd been facing her worst fear every day for years, just trying to be better._

_And Anna couldn't even handle her worst fear all over again for several days._

_Now she felt strong enough to break down the door, hug her, tell her she was sorry and vow to never doubt her again._

_But all that would do was scare her and push her away all over again. Just like every stupid, impulsive, thoughtless thing Anna had ever done to her – even back when she was five years old._

_If Elsa could fight every bad impulse she had for years, whether it was paying off yet or not, then Anna had to try too. So she shoved the files under the door and went off to figure out how._

_She composed herself and had an idea ready by the next morning. Whether it was a good idea or not, she had no idea. It could easily backfire on her, but if it helped Elsa for even a second, she would have real courage anyway. Just like Elsa had._

_As such, she got up earlier than she had in years, found Elsa on her way to chambers, and marched up to her. Willing herself to ignore one last time how uneasy she made her, she got to Elsa and hugged her tightly without a word._

_"I want you to remember this. Every time someone blames you for something, or you can't think of any ideas, remember this. Remember there's one person who will always believe in you," Anna vowed._

_After an extra big squeeze, Anna let go and told a confused Elsa. "I'll see you again before bedtime. Until then, I won't bother you the rest of the day. I promise."_

_Indeed, Anna didn't bug Elsa all day and kept to herself, like she would on the worst days before the Freeze. Yet in spite of these terrible memories, Anna didn't go overboard to erase them. She let Elsa do her job and hoped that her small, brief encouragement made some difference in her work._

_She then tried to do the same for her after work, as she found her before she went to bed and hugged her again. "Even if today was terrible, and even if tonight's gonna be rough too….try and remember this. And that I'm here whenever you're ready. And not a minute earlier. Okay?"_

_Elsa couldn't answer, and for once Anna wouldn't bug her to. "All right. See you in the morning," she said without any more fuss before leaving Elsa alone._

_She did the same for her the next morning before work, and the next night before bed. The routine continued without fail every day that week, almost like clockwork. Like the "Do You Want To Build A Snowman?" kind of clockwork._

_But this wasn't like that. Instead of a song and a plea to play, Anna gave Elsa hugs, a few kind words and a vow not to bother her. She was the one ignoring her by choice this time. She was…._

_She was facing her worst fear._

_Elsa only realized this after the first five days. She knew Anna's greatest fear was to get a taste of being around Elsa, only to get shut out again. To have her so close this time, only to still be so far away. _

_And she was willingly putting herself through that anyway. All so Elsa would have one less burden on her shoulders. Yet her hugs and kind words told Elsa she still wasn't giving up on her. She had every right to, more than usual, this time. _

_Instead, Anna used the only time she gave herself with her to encourage her, give her something good to remember during difficult times – and assure her she would wait for her. Again._

_She was always waiting for Elsa. But she was willing to wait again anyway, even with no guarantees that she'd come to her. _

_But still, Anna trusted that she would. Believed in her to get Arendelle back on her feet. Until then, Anna was ready to let her be a queen first. No matter how much she feared that she wouldn't be able to be a sister later._

_And on the sixth day, Elsa finally responded. By saying, "I love you" during Anna's morning hug._

_Anna didn't know what to do with herself. Elsa didn't blame her._

_Although Anna told her she loved her many times after the thaw, Elsa….really hadn't. This might have been the first time in 13 years she told Anna she loved her._

_She could tell Anna wanted to jump up, hug some more and show even more love. And yet she didn't. She just said, "I'll see you at bedtime. Good luck," and left, like the last few days._

_Because she was scared of wanting more. Scared of being too much for Elsa. Scared of going too far and pushing her away for good, even after that milestone. Slow and steady had been working so far, and she still couldn't bear the potential consequences if she stopped now. Even after hearing the words Anna had starved to hear – starved to know – for so long._

_That's what Elsa's fear and inadequacy had done to her. That's what years of giving in to it had done._

_That was the last time Elsa could stand it ever again._

_As soon as she made things right with Arendelle and cleared her Godforsaken schedule, she would make sure Anna would never have to stand it again._

_It was a new Elsa that magically went into the chambers that day. A new Elsa that came in there for several days and nights after. One that wasn't beaten down by so many negative stories, or objections from the council. One that thought outside the box for ways out of multiple messes._

_This Elsa still couldn't bring herself to go out and face Arendelle on her own. So she brought it to her. To demonstrate the new open door policy of Arendelle, she invited all those who were still recovering from the Freeze to come to the castle, and express their concerns and complaints freely._

_It wasn't easy at all to hear most of them. Or to hear all about the damage she had done, from the people who paid for it the most. But the memory of Anna's hugs, and the knowledge that one person believed she would make things right, made her endure. It made her listen, try to brainstorm solutions with these people, and make them believe she would take care of them from now on._

_To ensure she would, she made decisions and agreements that weren't popular with everyone. Van Garrett certainly wasn't used to disagreeing with a royal, after decades of blind allegiance to them. However, although Van Garrett had kept Arendelle running for two years, it was Elsa who was firmly in command now._

_Every time she forgot that at the end of a rough day or night, Anna reminded her with a hug. After every morning and bedtime hug, Elsa told her she loved her, so Anna would have something wonderful to carry with her whenever she had doubts. Much like Anna had given her._

_Over three weeks went by like this, until the first real signs of recovery took hold. Through Elsa's projects, talks with visiting citizens, new and strengthened alliances with other kingdoms, and new and strengthened alliances in chambers, the worst finally appeared to be behind Arendelle. Or at least it would be soon enough._

_Now it was finally time for the most important project of all._

_Anna didn't know that when she woke up after her post morning hug nap. She didn't know it when she played with Olaf the rest of the morning, or when Gerda told her Kristoff wanted to meet her in the ballroom after lunch._

_She really didn't know what to think when she got to the Great Hall – and found it covered in snow._

_Not even when she found Elsa in the middle – kneeling next to what looked like the bottom of a snowman. "You're late. I had to start without you," Elsa said with a smile._

_"I'm…I'm what now? What am I, what are you….what's it all doing here?" Anna rambled._

_"I had free time this afternoon," Elsa explained. "Now that we're on the road to recovery, I have free time every afternoon. Or rather, we have free time every afternoon. Forever."_

_"Forever?" Anna repeated, not able to say anything else._

_"That's what I told the council today. I'm working in the mornings, spending every second I can with you in the afternoon, and working at night only if we have no plans. That's my schedule every day from now on," Elsa announced. "I only need your approval to sign it into law. If….it's what you want."_

_Anna wanted to be able to speak. To do anything. To know how to react to this….unprecedented display of love for her. But for once, she had no words._

_However, her legs moved faster than her mouth. They made her run right for Elsa and hopefully into her open arms – until her brain put the brakes on it._

_"Not so fast, not so fast," she found herself saying. Even now, her old fears came back for one last stand. "I don't want to scare you off…." she admitted to Elsa. "What if you…."_

_What if she scared her and made her hide away – for good? If it wasn't a dumb fear then, it probably was now._

_But after getting a taste of….this, and after weeks of keeping her distance for Elsa's own good, Anna still felt too insecure to trust this. Too ill equipped to handle it if she drove it away._

_Elsa read it all in her face, and her unfinished question. And she had one clear cut answer._

_She marched right to Anna without a second of hesitation. She squeezed her hard without a flash of her getting frozen in her mind. 13 years of lost hugs, missed chances and long buried love was poured into this one embrace._

_This was what Elsa had been so afraid of all this time. It was enough to make her laugh. And mix in a bit of crying in the middle – although they were only half sad tears._

_When the laughter won out and started dying down, Elsa had enough left to whisper, "Thank you …."_

_"For what?" Anna asked, barely hearing herself in between the hugging, and the long buried joy._

_"For being here," Elsa answered, in more ways than one. The tears almost won out again, but she kept them quiet. "I love you. There's nothing you could do to make me stop. Not ever."_

_"I….same here," Anna settled on._

_It might take a while to express herself so freely again. And to get it right once she got used to it again. But if she couldn't hug Elsa too much after all, maybe that would do right now._

_"I think our snowman's getting cold," Elsa muttered after a full minute. With that, they finally let go to get to work. If they had the whole afternoon, they were gonna get their first non-living snowman in 13 years just right._

_They got that right and much more as the months went by. Such as Elsa sharing more of herself, going into Arendelle with Anna, letting herself vent about her work and problems – even if they went over Anna's head – and perfecting a schedule that balanced work and play._

_It was longer and more detailed than the average fairy tale reconciliation. But there it was._


	11. Anna and the King 2

Gaspar knew he could have spoken better about Elsa moments ago. He just wanted to figure out why Anna forgave her much easier than him and Malin – although he didn't phrase it just right. In any case, now he knew and had new reasons to feel ashamed – yet Anna just kept going.

"Elsa did so much to prove herself to me," Anna recapped to Gaspar. "Now I know, even if she messes up again, that she still loves me. She won't give up on me and she'll do anything to make things better. No matter what she's up against. Now I can trust her completely to make it okay."

Pausing, Anna chose her next words carefully. "That's…really big for me now. After what Hans did….what Elsa and you guys did….I can't trust that easy anymore. I can't afford to. I have to see people really _earn_ it first." Sighing, she admitted, "And I'm really sorry, but….you guys haven't earned it yet."

"We want to. Please believe me," Gaspar pleaded. "We just….don't know how."

"Elsa didn't know how, either. And she did it anyway," Anna reminded. "She loved me enough. She learned to love herself enough. And she was really, truly sorry for every mistake she ever made. I know she'll do anything so it doesn't happen again. But I _don't_ know that about you."

"I promise you, we won't do it again," Gaspar insisted. "We're not going to lock her out or separate you."

"Those are just words, Papa. Hans said words too. You, Mama and Elsa said words," Anna replied. "If I trust you again, and you let us down anyway….there won't be enough Elsa or Kristoff's or Olaf's or Sven's to make me feel better. I can't deal with that kind of hurt again."

She nearly cried the last part. "Especially from you."

"What can we do? What can I do?" Gaspar asked, while he could still hold back tears too. "Whatever it takes for you to trust us again, I'll do it, I swear…."

"You know what? It doesn't matter if I trust you," Anna said more strongly. "I'm not the one you really damaged. You want to make things right with me? Then you make it right with _Elsa_. I can't trust myself around you guys again until then."

"Elsa would probably tell you to do it anyway," Gaspar said. "She wouldn't want you to back off from us on her behalf."

"I know. But it's not just for her," Anna insisted. "If I could contain myself around her then, I know I can do it with you now. I don't _want _to….I really don't. But I _have _to. I need to feel safe around you first."

After all the extremes Gaspar and Malin went through to keep Anna safe - from _Elsa_ and her powers - this was the ultimate cruel irony. The ultimate just irony, really.

"I can't do anything about it until next week, technically," Gaspar dared to say. "It's your mother's week with her now."

"Hopefully she sets a good example for you," Anna hoped.

"I hope so too," was all Gaspar could really say. There was nothing else to say now. Nothing to do for the afternoon until they got back, apparently. Anna made her case, and there really was no reaching his little girl after all. Not until she could reach his other one – in another week.

As Gaspar walked away to review his options, Anna looked back and reviewed some of her tactics as well. She did tell him to make it right with Elsa, without giving him any idea how. Then again, after what they did to her, it should have been obvious to them.

But after what Elsa did to Anna, it wasn't obvious to her back then either. True, she finally figured it out on her own, under a lot more pressure than they faced now. It didn't mean she liked it, and it certainly didn't mean Anna did too.

Those weeks of waiting and hoping that Elsa would find her way back to her, without being provoked or nagged….were hardly fun until the snowman part. It was the last brutal time she ever hoped to have with her. She wouldn't wish such a thing on anyone.

Not even her parents.

"Hey," Anna got up towards Gaspar, before she changed her mind. "Maybe I could give you some advice? Instead of screaming monologues at you?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Although Gaspar had seen Elsa working all last week, Anna gave him his first real glimpse into who his daughter really was now. She told him all about their afternoons together, her habits, her quirks she poorly tried to hide behind her queenly mask, and about her passions other than work, chocolate, books and Anna.

Eventually, Anna stopped telling her father about the Elsa of today, and how to bond with her, and slowly began to open up about herself. She left out the rougher details from her isolation and from the Great Freeze, but she had no problem going on about punching Hans. Or about the different musical styles the trolls used every time she visited them – and their different marriage ceremonies.

Even if Anna couldn't trust her father, or herself around him, she could still give him reasons to trust her. And trust Elsa, and all their new friends. Maybe that was the right foundation to build on. It killed the rest of the afternoon, anyway.

With no more arguments, angry monologues or ugly details about the past, Anna and Gaspar could just talk. Soon enough, Anna was comfortable doing all of the talking and rambling, like she would around any other person.

It wasn't the biggest first step. But it was huge to Anna. To that end, it was huge for Gaspar too.

Still, once Elsa, Olaf and Malin came back, it was time to call it a day while they were still ahead. They weren't ahead enough to have a sentimental, hug-filled good night, though. That might still be a ways away.

Gaspar tried not to let that get him down as the night wore on, though he could only be vague about his day with Anna to Malin. From what he could focus enough to listen to, Malin was being vague and quiet as well. Maybe she wouldn't be able to warm Elsa up enough for him after all.

Yet the more he couldn't sleep that night, the more frustrating it became. Perhaps he and Malin needed to coordinate their strategies, no matter what painful issues it brought up.

Besides, they were supposed to work together. They were husband and wife. There was still a very good chance that all they'd have is each other forever, regardless of their identities. And if he screwed up with them, it might ruin her chances to win them back too.

There was only so much collateral damage to loved ones that he could leave. There just had to be.

Naturally, once he was brave enough to face that, he noticed Malin was out of bed and gone anyway.

He waited a few minutes, in case she was in the bathroom or walking around the cottage, but she didn't come back. This made Gaspar get up and start looking, but she wasn't anywhere inside – not even in Sven's corner.

He went outside, halfway tempted to knock and look inside Olaf's igloo, before coming to his senses. The only other sensible option was the castle.

After making his way inside, Gaspar went through the Great Hall and the regular halls, finding no trace of Malin. Eventually, his travels took him past Anna's bedroom door – but not fast enough for him to miss the noises of distress behind it.

One particularly troubling groan made Gaspar stop in place. By the time he got back to the door, he heard a few loud "No"'s as well.

_Knock, knock, knock_. "Anna?" Gaspar called quietly to wake her up, but not loud enough to wake anyone else. All he got was a few more noises and bits of heavy breathing as answers.

_Knock, knock, knock._ "Anna?" Gaspar tried again.

His only answer was, "No, get away!"

_Knock, knock, knock_. "Anna?" Gaspar called out with greater force. Now he didn't care if someone heard him, but no one was coming.

"Don't, please don't go!" Another pause. "Go away! Elsa!"

But it was Gaspar trying to break the door down to reach his daughter. He then pulled on the doorknob – only to turn it and find it completely unlocked. That made one part of this easier.

Gaspar turned the knob, made his way in the room and closed the door. When he found Anna tossing, turning and cringing in her bed, he was far less careful.

"Anna, Anna!" he rushed to his daughter's aide, then tried to tap her shoulder until she woke. Instead, he had to dive before he got struck by her right fist. She swung it wildly a few more times, until she finally shook herself awake.

"Where is he? Where are they? Where is….Papa?" Anna finally noticed Gaspar ducking on the floor. "How did _you_….am I still dreaming?"

"Thank goodness you aren't," Gaspar sighed in relief. "You were having a nightmare."

"Not again…." Anna groaned, then thought and got even more depressed. "Great, it was all of them."

"_All_ of them?" Gaspar asked in despair.

"Hans, Elsa dying, me freezing, you and Mama dying, losing Kristoff, Olaf melting….all my greatest hits of nightmares. They must have come all at once tonight…." Anna reflected.

"They do this often?" Gaspar asked, hoping to hear a no.

"No. Usually it's one at a time every few nights. Usually it's not bad enough that I need Elsa. Not anymore. I mean, her's were worse a few months ago anyway," Anna blabbed. "They should have stopped by now! They did for her, why not me?"

Anna pouted and got back under the covers, unsure of whether to try and go back to sleep. She just bunched herself up and looked helpless – not unlike when she had nightmares growing up.

Gaspar and Malin were always relieved that no….long forgotten memories had manifested themselves in Anna's nightmares. When they got to get her back to sleep and calm down, it was one of those rare times they still felt like real, regular parents. Especially when Elsa stopped letting them see her after her bad dreams.

If Gaspar brought this up, Anna would probably say those times were ruined by his lies now too. Other than that, he felt helpless.

The sunshine of his life – one of the only two he had for a decade – kept showing herself to be as scarred and damaged as Elsa. And there wasn't anything he could do about it.

Every time Anna smiled, jumped around, hugged them and loved them when she was a teenager, Gaspar and Malin took solace in how they still did something right. Now it was all stripped away as the final, greatest lie they ever told themselves.

Still, they had to have done _something_ right. Wasn't there one talent he could use to get something right – just _one _thing to get the ball rolling? One tactic to update for today's times that could still work now?

One thing he could do right for _one_ of his little girls. A distraction, a source of comfort, a story….

A story….

"You never liked reading school books. But you loved it when I read stories to you at bedtime," Gaspar recollected. "You were always swept away by wild stories in far away lands."

He knew he risked Anna saying she was that swept away because she never went anywhere. So he went on before she could put it together. "I don't need a book for one of those stories. I have one off the top of my head right now."

"You're gonna read me a bedtime story?" Anna questioned. "I'm 18…." At least that sounded like a normal "I'm too old for bedtime stories and kiddie stuff" kind of answer. Not a "Leave me alone, you're a lousy father," kind of objection.

"Just let me start one. If you don't like it, I can go," Gaspar offered. "But please try to give it your full attention."

Anna merely nodded, which Gaspar took as a small victory. Now it was time to go bigger or go back home. To his second home, anyway.

"Once upon a time, there was a king and queen lost at sea," Gaspar started. "They survived a horrible storm, but their memories didn't. In fact, they wound up starting new lives on a faraway island. Ironically, after years of shutting themselves out in the cold, they remembered what it was like to be warm, sunny and full of life again. Even if they didn't remember why they were cold to begin with."

"Wait a minute…." Anna got what her father was doing. Instead of thinking about her nightmares, now she remembered how she never actually asked them about their last three years. Yet here Gaspar was, offering it up in story form.

"One would never imagine a king as the manager of a summer clothing shop. Especially this king," Gaspar went on. "One could imagine this queen as the brass, efficient, take charge manager of a kitchen, however. Because she could take charge of just about anything. Sometimes, even memory loss doesn't erase the best parts of a person."

"Not much can…." Anna found a way to relate it back to Elsa. Without taking her father's head off, or remembering why Elsa almost lost her best parts to begin with.

"Sometimes it makes people discover new parts of themselves, though. Like running a boat to get home, for instance," Gaspar revealed.

"_You_ were a boat captain?" Anna was stunned. "I knew you used a boat to get here, but….you guys really ran it?"

"To be fair, I did it after I got my memory back. We're technically jumping ahead in the story," Gaspar nitpicked. "If you can stay awake and interested while I tell the rest, I can get to that ending in greater detail."

"Aw! Fine, have it your way," Anna conceded. Despite sounding annoyed, it was the kind of amused annoyed Gaspar could live with. Somewhere deep down, Anna was glad to feel it too. When she wasn't inpatient for him to get to the boat captain part.

Anna managed to sit still as Gaspar revealed the last three years of his and Malin's life, using the bedtime story formula. By the time he finally got to the last three months and the ship voyage home, Anna's nightmares were long forgotten.

In fact, this was the perfect way to counteract one of her worst recurring nightmares. After three years of terror about her parents drowning to death, now she had a story to remember where they took on the sea - and lived. And came back home, just like she tried desperately to imagine years ago.

Regardless of how the aftermath was turning out.…thinking about them beating the sea was far better than the alternative.

After three years of the alternative, this was far more soothing. At least enough to make Anna close her eyes and relax as the story neared an end.

"And so, this classic story has a classic revenge ending. The king and queen gave the ocean payback, and did what they should have done three years before. Come home to a true wonderland," Gaspar declared.

"A land that became far more beautiful, open and wise than any island ever could be. Especially once the king and queen remembered….who they could love again. And who they would never forget again."

Gaspar thought he saw a flicker of a smile on Anna's face. Of course, she could already be sleeping, so she might not be smiling over his words. Or him in general. But either way, she was smiling.

He barely remembered Anna smiling during these last eight days. He'd been struggling to remember when she used to smile at all.

He certainly couldn't remember what it was like to put a smile on Anna or Elsa's face. To actually ease their suffering and pain. To do something that any normal, loving, good father would do for their daughter.

Yet this was the first time that Gaspar had been a normal, good father in so long. He would take that feeling wherever he got it. Even from something like reading his 18-year-old daughter a bedtime story about her memory lapsed parents.

It was better than anything he'd done for her in the last week. Maybe the last 13 years. Because not one second of this moment was built on the foundation of a life-shattering lie.

If he could pull off one moment like that…..maybe others were possible. Still, no matter what the future held, he could still point to this as one perfect, untainted moment. The first of its kind.

It's why he sat down next to the bed, ignored Anna's snoring above, and drifted off to sleep alongside his daughter.

Down the hall, Malin had been asleep in her sleeping daughter's arms for 10 minutes already.

And that was the first time the royal family had fallen asleep in the same building for three-and-a-half years.

The last time they'd all fallen asleep in the same building in peace before now….was far harder to remember.


	12. An Open Door

Elsa never imagined a morning like this before. On many levels.

She hadn't had anyone spend the night in her room for 13 years. No one other than Anna had been in here during the night for six months. She still wasn't even close to imagining a man in there someday.

She'd kept her parents away from her room for years, and vice versa. They'd been in Kristoff's cottage for their first week back. She never thought her mother or father would be bold enough to come in here so soon, if at all.

She certainly never imagined she would be holding her mother as she cried to sleep. That _Elsa _could help another miserable person sleep her tears off.

That either of them could be crying like that, because of how sorry they were for what they'd done.

Now these various impossible scenarios had combined together. So what was supposed to come out of it the next morning?

Elsa thought she woke up early in the morning to give herself time. Of course, she forgot she was with another queen who was trained to get up early too. As such, she only had a two minute head start before Malin woke up.

When Malin's eyes adjusted and she saw where she was, there was a spark of joy and love clear in her eyes. However, when she was awake enough to see where she was, remember what happened, and remember how awkward this still was, Elsa saw hesitancy and fear on her face.

The same kind she saw in Anna when she didn't want to get too close months ago, in case she pushed her away. In case she came on too strong, too soon.

It took weeks and months until Elsa was ready to prove Anna wrong. Malin got this close in over a week, in spite of how even _more_ complicated their relationship was. And she was technically less battle tested, and more vulnerable, than Anna these days. How was she supposed to know what she could and couldn't do?

"I'm sorry," Malin finally spoke. "I kept you from the bed all night, didn't I?" she asked – although Elsa only now realized they'd been sleeping against the bed all night.

Malin got to her feet and offered, "If you want to get in bed for a while, I can tell them you're running late. No, you've never been late before. They'll ask too many questions."

"Mama?" Elsa asked as she got on her feet.

"If you can hold out and stay awake this morning, you could get some nap time in the afternoon," Malin went on. "No, then Anna will be mad. You could sleep in the study right after dinner. But it'll be almost bedtime then anyway. What's the point?"

"Mama?" Elsa repeated.

"This is what I hated about being queen. No room for flexibility. And_ I_ wasn't ruling Arendelle myself," Malin lamented. "No matter what, you'd be paying the price for my—"

"Mama! Your what?" Elsa finally got her attention.

Malin noticed her, then got lost in herself again as she tried to answer correctly. Unfortunately, the only correct answer was the truth.

"I don't want you to regret I was here. Whether I made you late for a meeting, gave you back pains, or you didn't believe me….those kind of morning after things," Malin admitted.

Only one of those scenarios mattered to Elsa right now. "Did you mean it?" she dared to ask.

Malin paused, which briefly made Elsa concerned. Until she said, "Deep down inside, I've wanted you to know I mean it….longer than I can remember. Ironic as that is," she chuckled in spite of herself. Her light mood soon wore off, though.

"I don't need you to say anything. I have no right expecting you to," Malin admitted. "I have no right to make you do or feel anything. Or not feel. Not anymore." She stopped herself from getting out of hand again, finishing with, "I'll make sure no one sees me on the way out."

"Wait," Elsa called out before Malin got too far. She did hesitate once the idea got into her head. The same hesitation that made her put her parents in Kristoff's cottage.

"You admitted something you didn't have to. Just to finally get it off your chest," Elsa recapped.

"It wasn't just for that," Malin wanted her to understand.

"You kept it buried longer than you should have," Elsa seemed to accuse. Malin's heart sunk, knowing deep down it was too little, too late. So much of this was.

Until Elsa added, "It's only fair that I return the favor."

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Anna had to be in another dream. At least this one was starting nice and easy. As nice and easy as it could be to dream her father sleeping next to her bed.

It wasn't starting like a conventional nightmare. Wait a second, nightmare….that's what started this. That's why he came in here.

That's why this was real.

"Oh, geez!" Anna exclaimed, as it hit her all over again. Unfortunately, Gaspar was a far lighter sleeper than she was.

"What? Anna!" Gaspar woke up, turning around while still sitting on the floor. He barely kept his balance – yet the bedhead Anna had nearly made him fall on his back anyway. "What did your nightmare make you do to your head?"

"The same thing my regular dreams do, why?" Anna said, feeling stable that her bedhead was normal, at least.

"Really? I…." Gaspar stopped himself from fully saying that he didn't know that – how could he? Even now, what did he really know about Anna?

"Those _were _regular dreams. At least after you showed up," Anna remembered.

Looking down at Gaspar, she gasped and said, "Oh, I made you sleep on the floor, sorry! I mean, I probably would have kicked you outta bed, and the bed at Kristoff's is like a floor at first too! I mean, that's what Mama said, it's not like I would know! I _won't_ know until much later, no matter what you heard! Not heard about me and _Kristoff, _I mean….I mean, not like me and _Hans _ever got that –"

"Anna!" Gaspar got a word in at last. "Can I try to keep up for a minute?"

"Oh, sorry!" Anna apologized.

"Don't be," Gaspar realized. "I forgot how….detailed you can be when you're rambling. With all the times your teachers talked about it, it's a wonder amnesia made me forget."

"Like you were the first one in our family to get amnesia," Anna joked. However, Gaspar wasn't laughing, which made Anna confused, since her funny bone was usually on fire in the morning. But he didn't think she was joking.

"Oh. Oh!" Anna got why that wasn't a joke. "I meant my amnesia in forgetting school stuff! Not the amnesia you and the trolls gave me! Not that!"

Nevertheless, Anna could have meant it. She knew she could have, and had a right to mean it, but she didn't. Maybe she didn't want to bring it up this early and ruin the day already. Maybe she was still too sleepy to be bitter. Maybe the whole "protecting her from nightmares" bit last night bought him a bit of mercy.

Or maybe she really did forget. Like she had amnesia making her forget to be mad at him. Like she was actually treating him like her father again.

As much as that amazed Anna, it seemed it made a sadder impact on Gaspar. In another twist, Anna didn't feel like it was about time, or that it was too little, too late. Since she didn't meant to make him feel guilty this time, she almost felt like she'd been unfair anyway.

Like the unfair things had been done to _him_ – no matter how untrue that was. Right?

"Listen, Anna…." Gaspar finally started, making Anna a bit apprehensive. And maybe a little eager. She didn't expect to feel that before one of these big, overdue talks she tried so hard to avoid. But if this was the first one she didn't have to bite his head off over….it might be a nice change of pace.

But before it started, they both heard a knock on the door. Relief and a tiny bit of regret was shared by both father and daughter. Even if that wasn't the ideal first thing they should have shared together.

To pile on, they went on to share panic first. "Elsa!" Anna realized. "She doesn't know you're here! I don't know how she'll take it!"

"Your mother doesn't know _I'm_ here. I came here to look for _her_, though," Gaspar recalled. "That's probably her right now. I don't know how she'll take this….she should have shared this with us."

"Well, if it is her, we can share now, can't we?" Anna reasoned, in a bout of optimism she'd been unfamiliar with in the last week. It was good to have it back. It was nice to feel good about something coming back.

While she still felt good, Anna got out of bed and headed for the door. She opened it and found out Gaspar was right – but Anna was right too.

"Malin. Elsa?" Gaspar expressed more surprise at the end. Malin and Elsa then took their turn to be surprised.

"You were here? While I…." Malin didn't finish.

Elsa couldn't think of any words for her father, and wanted to wait to ask them to Anna. Until then, she had a job she swore to herself to do. But now that they didn't have to look for Gaspar, she could get it done faster.

"Now that we're all together, I can ask you to follow me," Elsa said, wearing her best official mask – or at least the best she could put together.

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By the time Anna realized where they were going, there wasn't much time to whisper/ask Elsa what she was doing. She looked like she wasn't keen on being disturbed anyway. Even Anna knew there was only so many times she could ignore that look.

She didn't see how she could keep it on, though. Especially when they got to the frozen door of their parents' old room.

Nevertheless, Elsa calmly told them, "I don't know if you've seen this yet. I went out of my way to make sure you didn't."

"That's our room," Malin told everyone and herself what they already knew. "Why is it covered in ice?"

"I sealed it up so I'd never have to deal with it again. Or….with you," Elsa began to crack. "Back then, the only way I could stay out in the open, and start being a good queen and sister, was to….renounce everything you taught me. I couldn't do that without renouncing you. But….telling you when you came back didn't seem like the best time."

"And now it's a good time?" Gaspar tried to ask without emotion. Of any kind.

"I don't know if that's possible," Elsa admitted. "But this isn't just about me. Or my pain. You two suffered too," she let herself accept. "Maybe seeing your old room, your old stuff, and part of your old life will help you get better. I shouldn't shut you out of it because it didn't help me."

"Or just because we didn't help you," Malin brought herself to say. "But it worked. Didn't it? Shutting _us_ out?"

Now Elsa's mask was crumbling. Having her parents there to see it almost made her think of….a certain phrase starting with c. That wouldn't help her to give them this olive branch, though.

So she did the exact opposite. She used her powers and made something thaw in front of them for the first time. Unlike all those failed attempts in the past, her parents didn't see a tremble or worry line on her face. Soon, they didn't see a trace of ice covering their old door either.

When the show was over, Elsa exhaled and reached for the doorknob. She opened it and made herself peek inside, then let a burst of wind go into the room. "Should clear up most of the dust," she explained, before backing up to give them room.

"You're not coming in?" Gaspar had to ask.

"I'm still not ready. But I won't stop you if you are. Not anymore," Elsa told them.

Before she got too swept away, Malin remembered, "Wait. If you've frozen our door all this time, won't thawing it look suspicious now? Especially for two new servants?"

"If anyone asks, tell them you wanted to learn more about your boss's family. And about the history of your new home," Elsa explained. "Since I'm trying to be more welcoming, it fits the new me."

"It's not that new. Don't let them forget that," Anna chimed in.

With no comfortable way to follow that up, Elsa was ready to go. However, Anna speaking up reminded Elsa to ask, "Do you want to go in with them?"

Although Elsa made the offer, going in there before she was ready didn't sit right with Anna. Plus….it was too early to relieve her last visit there. That sounded right.

"No, it's their room. We should give them their privacy," Anna figured.

"If that's what you want," Gaspar conceded. "I suppose we'll see you at work and….other activities when we're done." Before he kicked himself, he added, "Thank you, Elsa."

The simplest things everyone else took for granted still seemed so new to Elsa. Like hugs, touching with gloves, sharing emotions, people other than Anna caring about her….and being thanked by her father. That was certainly newer than the other stuff these days – and new by any other standard.

Still, he said this after finding out Elsa denounced him, and never wanted to think anything about him again. That brought on the more familiar feeling of guilt. "You don't have to thank me," Elsa found herself saying, in spite of what a landmark it was. As such, it certainly felt like her cue to go.

However, she found a way to leave on a good note, as she took the step of opening the thawed door all the way for them.

She gave her parents an open door. Fortunately, they and their daughters largely ignored the irony as they went their separate ways.

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"Elsa, what happened?" Anna asked when they were far enough away. "Mama didn't….guilt you into doing this last night. Did she?"

"And how did Papa get to see your bedhead?" Elsa countered back.

"He….told a few stories, that's all," Anna explained, hiding the more unpleasant details. "Is that what Mama told you too?"

"She told me a few things," Elsa didn't get more specific either.

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"I came in the castle to look for you," Gaspar told Malin as they stood on opposite sides of their old bed. "But I suppose you beat me to it."

"It seems you beat me to a few things too," Malin commented.

"Reconciling with our daughters isn't a competition," Gaspar reminded, then asked more hesitantly, "Is that….actually what you did?"

"I don't know if it got that far," Malin admitted. "It took everything out of me, and I still don't know."

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"So you and Mama are….actually good?" Anna asked Elsa.

"I don't know," Elsa answered. "She poured herself out to me. More than I did with you at first. But….she cried and regretted everything for _one night_. That's hardly as much as 13 years."

"Oh," Anna noted. "Then one night of bedtime stories and getting over nightmares isn't much too?"

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"It sounds like you got further than me," Gaspar told Malin. "I never even said I was sorry. Or shed a tear. I just made Anna smile with stories about the island."

"What?" Malin gasped. "You made her smile?" she asked with emotional envy.

"It was right before she fell asleep. But it still counts," Gaspar clarified.

"Anna smiled for one of us. It counts no matter what," Malin assured. "I wish I was there to see it."

"I wish I was there to see Elsa hug you," Gaspar wished back.

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"I wish I could have heard those stories," Elsa wished. "I wish it didn't take your nightmares for him to share them."

"I wish I saw her apologize to you," Anna wished back. "I would have liked that more than his stories. No matter how good a sea captain he is now."

"What?" Elsa got taken by surprise. "You're kidding."

"Even _my _imagination isn't that big!" Anna reminded her. "He beat the sea this time and everything!"

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"She called me Mama," Malin reflected. "She let herself hold me. I gave up imagining that so many times. Before and after we came back."

"Me too," Gaspar replied. "Do you think this means we can….dare to start hoping again?"

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"I wanted to imagine them surviving the sea so many times," Elsa confessed. "I couldn't after the….night of the funeral. I didn't think my room could take any more damage. Or….either of us."

"I still wish I could have been there for you," Anna admitted again. Even with all the heartache Elsa caused by not being there for Anna, she still wished she was there for her more.

As Elsa felt her usual disbelief over it – albeit less than before – she then heard Anna ask, "Is it okay if I….wish they could be there for us now?"

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"I can't fail them again. You know you can't either," Malin told Gaspar. "Does one night of progress means we're ready to do more?"

"Logically, no," Gaspar conceded. "But it's all we have. It's more than we had in years. It's not enough to erase 13 years of fear and mistakes, but…."

"How else are we going to start?" Malin finished. "Now that we have a real opening again, what else can we do?"

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"I'm not saying I trust them!" Anna jumped in before Elsa answered her question. "I don't want to be stupid and think tears and stories can erase 13 years. But…."

"How else are they going to erase them?" Elsa finished. "We let them open the door last night. We can't close it on them like they did, can we?"

"Part of me still wants to. It'd serve them right," Anna insisted. "But that part of me that heard his stories….and knows Mama's sorry now….I can't shut her up now. I tried, but I can't."

"In a way, that serves _you _right," Elsa cracked, hoping Anna knew she was talking about the shutting up part. But when they stopped in front of a window and Anna leaned against Elsa's side, it seemed to suggest she got the joke.

"What are we going to do?" Anna sighed, although this was the most composed she'd ever been when asking those words.

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"We make a real effort," Gaspar decided. "No matter what the risks are. What we didn't do back then."

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"We try to let them in," Elsa decided. "We try to be better than they were. Let them prove _they're _better than they were. See if we can _all _do what we didn't do then."

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Gaspar and Malin's attention went to their old drawer. Or rather, the old pictures on it. Specifically, a picture of the royal family all together. It was too painful to look at for 10 years, but they could never throw it away.

This time, the pain was mixed with the tiniest hint of promise. It was better than the pain they were used to, anyway.

"I hope we can," Malin answered Gaspar's proposal. With that, they could only huddle together, stare at the happy and painful symbol of their past, and start to think they could actually make the pain go away.

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Anna and Elsa looked out the window and instantly knew what was out there. Somewhere far off and straight ahead was the gravestones of their parents. The now useless gravestones of their parents.

It was too painful for Anna to see and think about alone. It was even worse at first when Elsa finally joined her. But from now on, every time they looked or thought about them, they wouldn't have that power over them anymore. Because they weren't true, and were never true.

If the power of symbols of the not dead could go away like that…..maybe the living would be more merciful. They owed them. And maybe they were finally starting to see it.

"I'd like to think we can," Anna answered Elsa's last comment. She even resisted the habit to add what it could do if they couldn't.

Yet Elsa tightened her arms around Anna's side, telling her that even if they couldn't, at least one person wouldn't leave her again.

With that, they could only huddle together, stare out at the painful and now ironically happy symbol of the past – even if they couldn't see it – and start to think other kinds of pain could fade too.


	13. Week Two

Elsa searched for ways that she could let Malin in a bit more. Ways to give her a better idea of the woman, and queen, she had become. Before, the prospect of her parents fully seeing that – of judging it, and of deciding whether it was perfect enough or not – was overwhelming.

It still was. But if she never gave them a chance, she'd never know if their standards were more forgiving now. Elsa figured it'd be better to start testing with her mother this week, before it was her father's turn next week.

One small thing she did was let Malin watch her work in the study at night. She saw how Elsa responded to letters, made offers to other kingdoms, and put official decisions down into law without leaving a loophole – when she wasn't leaving one in the right place.

However, the content of Elsa's words wasn't what captivated Malin on this night. The more she watched her daughter write, the more familiar it looked.

"I know that p," Malin said, which confused Elsa somewhat. "The way you curl the bottom of the p….that's how I did it."

Elsa struggled to understand at first, and then it all came back to her. By now, her handwriting style was second nature to her, and didn't stand out to her as much. Maybe the origin of it was just one of those things she blocked out back then, if only to stand the pain a while longer.

Yet Malin brought the memories back further as she realized, "And that c, the b, and especially the y….most of these letters are….they're exactly how I wrote them." Stating the obvious, but still amazed by saying it out loud, she concluded, "You write just like me."

"Well, it's….not a complete forgery," Elsa gathered herself. "I added little touches myself. You never wrote an n quite like that."

"I should say not," Malin noted. "Your a is much narrower than mine too. But connecting it with my r...and the little touches you added to my e….it's remarkable."

One of her parents thought something she did was remarkable. Something creative that came out of her inspired…._pride_ in her mother.

Of all the things that took Elsa 13 years to experience, this was….among the most heartwarming. Definitely among the most heartwarming firsts that had nothing to do with Anna.

"I knew how much you missed me. Back then. Missed hugging me," Elsa spouted out, instead of just saying thank you and accepting it. She still had to go bring up the past and be a downer.

Then again, after years of not being able to bring up anything….

"I thought studying your letters and learning to write like you in my room….would be a way of keeping you there," Elsa explained. "I guess in my own childish innocence….I thought merging your letters and mine would be like a warm hug. _Some _kind of hug between us, at least. But as the years went on and I got used to everything….it stopped being so sentimental to me. I guess it had to."

Uncomfortable with the sentiment even now – at least the sadder parts of it – Elsa went back to writing her letters. Another perfectly nice moment ruined by the past and sharing too much.

"It's still there. The sentiment," Malin interrupted. "It didn't die out. It was too strong to go away. I wish I knew that it always would be." Bringing herself to smile, she admitted, "But I have a better idea now. Thank you for giving it to me."

It wasn't a first to have her parents thank her now. This was a second, thanks to her father's thanks at the bedroom door. But it was a first from her mother. At least this time, Elsa could have her own first.

"Thank you for inspiring me," Elsa thanked a parent for the first time without fear. Yet she slightly undercut it with, "You certainly have the neatest handwriting in our family. If I'd copied Anna's writing back then, like I wanted to at first, they'd probably think I'd declared war."

"At least my last-ditch efforts to teach her weren't _that _much of a failure," Malin sighed in relief.

"You tried to teach Anna?" Elsa asked. But out of habit, she felt that old nerve telling her not to ask her parents about Anna. The one that kept her from making the wounds worse back then. And not make Anna's own stories in front of the door about her days hurt even more.

"I had little else to do at the time," Malin answered. Out of habit, she kicked herself inside for bringing up the past and sharing too much. Putting so much guilt and regret on Elsa's head, if only by accident, that she'd regret opening up and retreat into her shell even worse. It never failed before.

It nearly worked now. Until Elsa got herself to ask, "What else did you try to teach her? If _any_ of it worked, it could help me now. Or even Kristoff. He's not a complete lost cause yet."

Neither were Elsa and Malin, apparently.

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Anna searched for safe ways to let Gaspar into her life. To take on the past without wanting to yell at him for it again. Ultimately, she thought a good way to warm up was to tell him about the immediate past – at least her own part of it.

To that end, Anna let Gaspar go with her and Kristoff when they went out one morning. In fact, she had them go through the first half of their route to the North Mountain, filling him in on her and Kristoff's adventures and first moments together. She even cut the number of wolves that chased them by half in her retelling.

Soon, Anna forgot her father was there – or forgot her anxiety at him being there. She started going on with her story and getting lost in the memories, like she would have for anyone else. She did make sure to give nothing but the highest praise for Kristoff, in case Gaspar still needed to be sold on him. After all, Kristoff figured out the folly of Hans long before she did.

Yet the more Anna got lost in her recap, the more she missed how Gaspar wasn't saying anything. By now, Anna was so lost in her own energy – and relieved she could be that way in front of him again – she wouldn't have heard him anyway.

She certainly didn't notice the looks he gave Kristoff either. But Kristoff did.

Anna had them turn around halfway through the route, as their ride and recap stopped short of when they met Olaf – and well short of the ice palace. If Elsa hadn't brought it up to them or offered to show it off yet, Anna knew enough not to be the one to do it first.

She didn't know enough at this time to see Gaspar's unhappy body language. But Kristoff did. There were _some _things he'd gotten better at figuring out in humans these last six months.

When Anna finally quieted down in the sled and just looked up at the grey sky, as if it was summer, Kristoff had his opening to quietly defend himself.

"I tried to stop her from going up there. At first. It was more out of laziness, but it counts," Kristoff whispered to Gaspar. "You should know how hard it is to say no to her. Why didn't you tell _her _to conceal _that _grand power? Okay, that came out wrong…."

Gaspar still frowned and didn't seem to listen, while Anna was still daydreaming, and Kristoff was caught in the middle. He still went on whispering to Gaspar anyway, adding, "Okay, so I put her life in danger because of business. At first. Wow, came out wrong even worse."

Yet he tried one last time and argued, "I did help her fight off all those wolves, though. Wait, it makes it sound like there was a lot. And there weren't. I didn't have to do that much, don't worry."

"You did," Gaspar spoke quietly now. "You saved my daughter. You got her to reunite with Elsa. You raced to save her. You did more in a day for her….and by extension, for Elsa….than I did in 13 years. For any of them."

Pausing, he concluded, "Now that it really sunk in….I'm going to need a while to come to terms with that. On top of everything else. Please, just bear with me until then."

Gaspar returned to looking indifferent and upset. But now Kristoff knew it wasn't over him. Maybe he could sleep with an eye and a half open tonight after all.

Nevertheless, he whispered with his big mouth one more time. "I wouldn't have gotten to save her, if you didn't save her first. No matter how you did, or what happened next, _you_ saved Anna first. I still owe you for that. Even if they won't admit they do too yet."

Now Kristoff truly knew to be quiet, in case Anna overheard that little detail. By sheer luck, that wasn't the one time she listened closely to someone else at first.

As such, Kristoff stopped pushing his luck and watched the skies quietly with Anna. Gaspar sat quietly in the sled next to them, his vision far further back than theirs.

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After Malin's third and fourth morning of observing Elsa's council meetings, she could tell there was tension in the air. Van Garrett didn't help as he kept bringing up the issues of public opinion – in and mostly out of Arendelle – and whether Weselton or the Southern Isles was up to anything.

Between that and the usual red tape Gaspar liked to ramble against in the past – since it was better than facing other issues – Malin could tell Elsa was less than pleased. She still had her impenetrable, official face of duty on, but it took someone who wore it for years and years to know the cracks in it. The boredom, the frustration and the burden that these words were putting on her.

As if there wasn't enough to burden her.

Malin couldn't well speak up during the meetings. She certainly couldn't burden Elsa further before her afternoon time with Anna. And she sure couldn't bring Elsa down at night after Anna lifted her spirits. There had to be some small contribution to help her during meetings. Or to make the council take it easier for a moment.

It was almost like the old days, when they actually had people over for balls and dinners. When they had to help them put aside work and their other differences for a night. Usually it took their favorite foods and delicacies to get their minds off it, or to at least make them too full to argue.

Actually, if that worked at dinner time….

And if there was someone who remembered them well enough to know their other favorites….and had the experience to manage a kitchen just right….

Right. Someone like that was back in Arendelle now.

With help and a little bit of cover from Gerda, Malin spent the night and the early morning organizing something special for the next day. Two special things, actually. None of which she told Elsa about, but she hoped this was one secret she could fully appreciate.

When Elsa and the council came into chambers the next morning, Malin, Gerda and the staff had every member's favorite breakfast food on the table. Malin remembered the favorites of the older council members, while Gerda filled her in on the newcomers – and the others she knew because of how well she knew their families.

And of course, she knew Elsa and Van Garrett's ideal breakfasts by heart. With that to sooth them over, their discussions stood to go smoother today. Even if there was the usual tension at the end, that's what a feast of the council's favorite lunch foods would smooth over later on.

And of course, Malin knew Elsa's ideal lunch by heart – with enough left over for her to take to Anna.

It was quite odd to everyone at first, especially Elsa and Van Garrett. But once Van Garrett took a bite, and Elsa took one after seeing how pleased everyone else was with their bites, no one objected.

Malin made sure to give Elsa a share of credit, if that helped, even though this wasn't her idea. Yet it was her idea to hire Malin – someone who did her research with no other extra help - and it had led to this, so it still fit. For her part, Elsa was too overwhelmed and too satisfied by the meal to brush it off.

The meal got them all through the first part of the meeting with no tension. By the time it built up again the second half, it was lunchtime. As such, the council would leave on a high note, which was a win onto itself.

Unfortunately, the staff wouldn't be able to do this every morning. But every other morning stood to be enough, to keep any setbacks and disagreements from lingering too long. Once Malin got the routine in order, it would run like clockwork in no time.

Elsa's hiring practices and Malin's services got a lot of positive recognition on this day. Enough that no one saw anything suspicious at all. Whether it was Malin's detailed knowledge, or the leeway the Queen gave someone who'd only been in Arendelle for two weeks.

Van Garrett might have thought it over, if not for the best lunch he'd had served to him in about four years.

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"Hide me!" Anna pleaded with Gaspar in the middle of the halls.

"From what? What's after you? Should I get Elsa?" Gaspar jumped to the worst scenarios.

"Olaf's seeking me! And he remembers my great hiding places!" Anna shared. "Just distract him for a minute while I find one of my best _good _hiding places!"

"You're playing hide and seek….with the snowman? In the castle?" Gaspar questioned.

"The longer we talk, the more likely I'll _lose_ hide and seek with the snowman!" Anna urged. "Can I count on you or not?"

That last sentence made Gaspar forget how absurd Anna was being. It had to. If helping a nearly grown up princess play hide and seek in a busy castle, with a snowman, was what it took to be someone Anna counted on again….

"I'll go one step further," Gaspar figured out, leading Anna down the hall until they stood next to a bookcase. He looked around, then seemed to take out one of the books – which opened up some kind of secret door next to the case.

"Whoh! I didn't know _that _hiding place!" Anna gasped. Gaspar wished he was that surprised.

"Anna?" Olaf's voice called out, snapping her out of it.

"Okay, I'm ready to learn for once! Let's go!" Anna insisted, to which Gaspar put the book back and got Anna into the passageway before the door closed. And before Olaf came on by.

"Anna? Are you there? If you turned invisible and you're right here, you would tell me, right?" Olaf asked. When there was no answer, he figured, "Okay. So you're invisible somewhere else, then…..now we're narrowing it down."

As Olaf went back on the case, Anna looked around at the tunnels she and Gaspar were now in. "What is this? Some secret way out of here?" she guessed.

"That's about it. The bookshelf used to be a china display," Gaspar explained. "When Elsa was gone and you had no one to stop you from crashing in the halls, I converted it into a bookshelf. It has actual official books about Arendelle, so I figured you wouldn't look closer into it. I was relieved every day you didn't."

"Why?" Anna wondered. "I had time to find all the other secret hiding places around here. I turned out okay in them."

"But this was the only one that could take you out of the castle. Out of Arendelle," Gaspar clarified. "We didn't want you or Elsa to see it. Unless we had to use it if we came under attack. Or if Elsa was exposed."

"You were gonna send her out?" Anna got ready to yell.

"No! I was more afraid that one of you would find this and run away first!" Gaspar revealed. "We'd given the both of you every reason to try. If you ever had enough and found this place….a way out with even a chance for a better life, with people….I knew we might never see you again."

"But Elsa would have been too scared to leave. And I couldn't leave her, you or Mama anyway," Anna stated. "If I found this a few days after….the boat sank, though…." she had to admit. "After the funeral…."

Gaspar sighed, then tried to find some kind of silver lining. He was very, very rusty at it, but this habit of letting a depressing detail about the past linger had to stop.

"Well….would you like to see what you would have been in for?" he asked. "In any case, you'll know where to go if we're….not playing hide and seek. Elsa probably found out about this route when she took the throne. But if the time comes, you can surprise her and say you learned this on your own."

"It might give her some kind of hope in an imaginary crisis," Anna reasoned.

So Gaspar led Anna down the tunnels, into passageways that led to shelters in case escape was impossible, and finally out into the open. Out of the castle and on the way out of Arendelle.

Since Gaspar didn't have to fear Anna would run away anymore, he felt safe to show her the ways she could have left Arendelle, and the paths she could have taken to other locations. Now that Anna wasn't in despair anymore either, she could joke about how she would have stumbled through those places, and wonder if she could have ran into Kristoff even earlier.

They spent the next hour or two actually exploring and going in and out of Arendelle – something Anna had only started to get used to, and something Gaspar gave up on long ago. Especially with one of his daughters. But now she was preparing her for disaster – instead of just hiding her from it – and entertaining her at the same time.

The novelty of it all kept them smiling as they went back through the tunnels, and back into the castle.

Until they found Olaf napping at the bookcase, and couldn't get themselves quiet in time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'd like to see your powers. In the ballroom," Malin asked Elsa almost out of nowhere, on their last night together.

"What are you….why would you want that?" Elsa struggled to understand.

"Because I never wanted to see it," Malin conveyed. "Because I've never noticed the good parts of it in that ballroom. Because I want to see what you and Anna find so appealing about freezing it." With a meaningful pause, she finished, "And because I want to see what my daughter can really do."

"Didn't you see it when you first got here?" Elsa reminded her, almost too quietly.

"That was for the people. I want you to put on a show for _me_," Malin requested. "Technically, I serve you now, so I can't tell you what to do. Just suggest what might help heal both of us."

That was the only reason Elsa managed to get to the Great Hall that night, with Malin following. Once they saw no one was around, Malin stood back in anticipation. "You want me to start now?" Elsa wondered.

"Whenever you're ready," Malin assured. However, Elsa still wasn't that assured.

"You spent a decade telling me _not _to show my powers. You want me to change that in the room where I almost killed…." Elsa couldn't finish, as some old familiar fears returned to the surface.

"That's exactly why I'd like to see it now," Malin pressed. "Just do what you did for Anna that night. Before the accident. Show me what kind of fun you made for her before we barged in. Before we took it all away."

"Aren't you afraid I'll…." Elsa trailed off again, as the old familiar frost escaped her hands. For the first time in months, Elsa started to wonder if she should have brought gloves.

"Show me why I shouldn't be. Why your father shouldn't. And why you don't want to live in fear anymore," Malin hoped to remind her. "Show me what we all should have known all along."

Those were a lot of tall orders. Hardly the tallest she'd ever given her, yet at this moment, they felt like it. Unlearning so many things about how she had to live already took so much time and effort for Elsa.

Even now, she didn't know if she could do that on command – and what would she think if she couldn't? What would Papa think when he heard? Or Anna?

The more Elsa felt Malin's eyes watching her, waiting for her powers to come out, the more it felt like _then_. Regardless of how she wanted them out this time. What if finally wanting them was what led to her mother getting hurt by them? Like she hurt her sister in this very room?

She could tell the frost was forming, she just knew it. She didn't even have to look down. Why did she think six months was enough time for –

"Wait. I take it back, you don't have to," Malin interrupted her spiral. She probably saw the floor and walls freeze and came to her senses.

But when Elsa finally looked around, there was no frost anywhere. Her nerves hadn't frozen or threatened to freeze anything. So why did she take it back?

"I don't want you to be scared," Malin answered. "I wanted to think this wasn't too much, too soon. It's my fault, not yours. I just wanted us to take a big step together, before our week ended….but I can't rush it. I've pushed you into enough as it is."

She was actually blaming herself. Just because she thought she wanted too much, too soon. Like Anna tried so hard not to do.

Until Elsa finally rewarded her for it in this very room.

Elsa closed her eyes, trying to remember that morning instead of….that night. That morning where she finally showed Anna she had her sister back for good. Instead of that night where she all but lost her forever.

Elsa came back here to play with her that morning, and spent weeks of hard work to clear her schedule, because she loved her. Because she was tired of disappointing her. Because she wanted Anna to know she would never feel unloved by her again.

_Like you've made your mother feel,_ the voice in Elsa's head pointed out.

Perhaps it wasn't _that _apt. Anna felt unloved, when the truth was that Elsa never stopped loving her for a day. No matter how hard she had to bury it so she could survive being alone. But Elsa still loved her.

_Like you love your mother,_ the voice returned.

_Like I love my mother_.

For all that had happened in the last two weeks, and all the chaotic emotions she'd endured – or tried not to – Elsa had never acknowledged this one. This one that had technically never changed for 13 years. Just like the ones for Anna never changed.

Through all the madness, loathing and self-loathing, it was still true.

_I love my mother_.

_And I don't want to disappoint her again_.

For the first time since the thaw, love other than her love for Anna fueled Elsa as she conjured her powers. Without anything else on her mind, she forged a growing snowball up in the air, then flung it out above the middle of the ballroom.

There, it exploded into a snowfall that began raining down on the entire room. Once there was a coat of snow on the ground, Elsa worked faster and shot out a greater quantity of snow by herself. After there was a good 3-4 inches on the ground around them, she raised the snow up to forge a series of hills, like the ones she and Anna would ride down back then.

Malin finally dared to walk around in the snow, ignoring that she only had slippers on and wasn't dressed or equipped for winter weather. Nevertheless, while Elsa wasn't looking at her, she could hear her gasp. In amazement.

Amazement over her. And her powers. _Her mother_ was amazed by her.

All of a sudden, this didn't feel like 13 years ago. Or three months ago. Elsa didn't feel like she was in the ballroom at all, actually.

When she saw Malin touch the snow and smile….she felt like she was back in her first moments at the North Mountain again.

This time, however, it didn't cause Elsa to create an ice castle. But the ground below them rose anyway.

Elsa had the snow below her and Malin rise up, and rise them up, until they were now standing on the edge of a bigger hill. By the time Elsa could know any better, and remember she wasn't eight years old anymore, she had forged an icy sled big enough for the both of them.

"You wanted to know what we did then?" Elsa reminded her mother. Going along with it, Malin joined her as Elsa sat down on the front of the sled. When Malin sat behind her and wrapped her arms around her, Elsa began to push them off the edge.

Two Queens sledded down the hill like little children, laughing like them for good measure. Even when they got to the bottom and fell on their backs. When they did, they just finished laughing until Elsa's next spontaneous idea – raining a light, beautiful snow right above them.

"My God…" Malin wowed, reaching out to touch the snowflakes, even as more landed on her. While she was distracted, Elsa got one more crazy idea.

Concentrating hard enough, Elsa made more snow move around, forging two shapes right in front of them. One shape was fairly small, but bigger than the other shape sitting in front of it. Soon, Elsa made these snow figures look more distinguished and familiar.

They weren't ice sculptures, and Elsa didn't make these snowmen come to life. Technically, they were snow girls anyway.

"Is that…." Malin realized when she noticed what Elsa made. Or rather, who she made.

Malin rushed to the snow sculpture that looked like an eight year old Elsa. Then she rushed over to the five year old snow Anna sitting in front of her. "It's you….I mean, them. I mean….it's my babies," Malin caught herself right before she could cry.

Elsa fought back her own emotions as she got up and walked towards her creations, and her own co-creator. She then asked Elsa, "Can you….do to them what you did with Olaf?"

This finally brought Elsa down from the fifth greatest high point of her life. "I….I probably shouldn't," she brought herself to deny Malin. "It would be too weird. And I couldn't keep them alive. I certainly couldn't….make them stop being alive."

"But I need to tell them I'm sorry. I need to tell them I love them before it's all gone again…." Malin lost herself, and where and when she was, for a moment.

"They know. They tried to forget for a while, but they know," Elsa promised. She knelt down beside her mother, waiting for a sign that she understood.

"Can I touch them?" Malin asked instead.

"They won't break," Elsa promised. "Or flinch," she suddenly understood.

Keeping herself composed, if only for Malin's sake, Elsa watched as her mother reached a hand towards the snow face of her daughter's eight-year-old self. A younger self Malin wasn't allowed to hug or touch for a long time.

She could touch and hug the real, flesh and blood grown up Elsa now, and was just starting to try. Yet touching this young copy – having permission to touch it – all but shattered her. It was starting to shatter real grown up Elsa too, especially when Malin pressed her forehead against the snow girl.

Yet the cold from it never bothered her.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Malin suddenly said, before turning to the snow girl Anna. She had hugged the flesh and blood young Anna so many times – but never not with the weight of a lie hanging over her head. Or the weight of loss that she didn't understand hanging over Anna. Not after she stopped being five.

When Malin all but hugged this five-year-old Anna, however, she seemed to snap out of it. "My God….I really am a mess."

"There's no one less equipped to judge than I am," Elsa conveyed. Malin looked at her, seemingly trying to prove her wrong with words. But she was out of them.

She then turned back to the young versions of her daughters, seemingly trying to show her gratitude for them – and for their maker. But there were no more words for that too.

Elsa was just getting good with words – heartfelt ones, anyway – but she didn't need them here either. She just sat down next to Malin and had her lean beside her, as they sat and looked at her creations. Like the Elsa and Anna of old in this very room.

"I get it now," Malin told them all. She could have meant that about a lot of things.

For once, in this room and in general, Elsa believed in the best possible meanings.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Not long after that, Anna and Gaspar were walking alone upstairs, as Gaspar prepared to leave for the cottage. However, there were no grand 'goodbye for the week' plans on either side, or any idea of what to say to each other.

But although Gaspar had no original ideas of his own, he decided to take a page from someone else. He decided it was time to learn from his daughter.

As such, before Anna could start saying good night, she found herself embraced by her father. Like she was back when he was just her father.

Then Gaspar took a page from someone else again. In this case, it was from someone even closer to him than Anna. Himself, before he lived life by mantras that couldn't possibly work.

"I want you to remember this," Gaspar felt. "No matter what happens with me and Elsa….please try to remember I love you. And I love her. And there is nothing I won't do to make you two love me the same way again. Whether I succeed or not….please believe me now."

He stopped just short of saying please believe _in _me, but Anna could read between the lines for once. She also knew where Gaspar got this from – especially since she was the one who told him about her own technique.

After a week without shouting at him, a week where he didn't try to defend what he'd done, and a week where he started to look like her old father again, maybe Anna could cut him a break. If she didn't and he carried that into his week with Elsa, it really couldn't end well.

Did she really want to show premature belief in him just for Elsa's sake? As much fun as they'd had this week, he really hadn't earned it yet. It was this week with Elsa that would really prove something, one way or the other.

Right now, Anna had no concrete proof he would truly never make the same mistakes again.

Like….like she had no real proof Elsa would change, before she started hugging her and leaving her alone. And yet she came back and became her Elsa again. After overcoming far more trauma and struggles than her parents had been through.

Darn. Well, not believing in someone was nice while it lasted. Even when it was the worst.

"I love you," Anna finally gave in. But before she gave in worse, she added, "Please let Elsa love you too. And please think of me if something's going wrong. Like she does. Love will thaw, remember?"

"Love will thaw…." Gaspar tried that new mantra.

"Yeah. Please believe me, and we should be thawed just fine when you get back. Okay?" Anna urged while squeezing him tighter.

"Okay. I'll try," Gaspar promised. It was the first big promise he made to her since….the one where he said he'd be back in two weeks.

No. Love would thaw. Thinking like that isn't thawing. He had to believe anything could thaw now – even the past.

After all, this was the first moment in 13 years where everyone in the royal family was starting to believe in something.


	14. Anna and the Queen

_Monday_

"Mama?" Anna asked Malin in the halls, when they knew they were alone and Malin didn't have to put on her Idina voice. The older makeup she still had to wear was still unsettling enough – but Anna was getting through unsettling things more and more this month.

Continuing with her question, she asked, "You ran a kitchen on that island, right? And you got the staff in shape here? So….did you learn any….special recipes yourself?"

"What kind of _special _recipes?" Malin stressed.

"The extra delicious, melt in your mouth kind," Anna answered. "I mean, if those guys in Elsa's council are getting it, it should be good enough for princesses. Then again, most of them are old and their teeth might be too….worn down for it."

"I don't know any new chocolate recipes," Malin caught on. "And I never made food on the island myself. I just directed those who did."

"Oh. I guess that's fun too," Anna reasoned.

"Don't think I don't have my chocolate tricks, though," Malin warned, then gasped when she found they were near the King and Queen's old room. "In fact….hold on a second."

Malin checked for a clear coast, then made her way into the bedroom. Anna nearly followed her, until she remembered how wrong it would feel to go in there, since Elsa would never do it again.

Nevertheless, she could look inside and still stay outside the entrance, while Malin appeared to look inside of her old drawers. "There they are. Way too old, but they're still there," Malin exclaimed, before coming back out and holding a few pieces of chocolate in her hand.

"Sorry, these are at least four years old," Malin warned Anna before she could dive in. "But sometimes, when I really needed to feel good as a mother….I dropped a little piece of chocolate in the halls. I figured you'd find it and I could give you _that_ little bit of happiness for a while. Of course, it probably made you crash extra hard in the halls some days. But your bumps always healed."

"That was you?" Anna couldn't believe. "I stopped believing it was a chocolate fairy when I was 11. But….I thought maybe it was Papa. Or Kai. Or even El…." She stopped herself right there.

"I left a piece for her every once in a while outside her door. After she actually came out for lessons," Malin shared. "I wonder if she thought that was you. At least for a little while."

"I think I left her mine once or twice. I mean, if I needed room for a chocolate binge later," Anna excused. "Maybe I did once or twice more just for her. When I thought she might come out."

"Well, she's out now. Both of you are," Malin assured – hoping she wasn't just brushing it all aside in Anna's eyes. "Now that she's the Queen, I might need to be extra careful with my next secret chocolate hiding place."

"Your next one?" Anna brushed aside her recent sad story for this exciting future detail.

"Yes. Somewhere in the kitchen might be too obvious. But that might be what makes it brilliant," Malin realized, before Anna took over with brainstorming ideas and potential hiding spots.

Of course, this completely negated the whole idea of secrecy, and ensured Anna would raid any hiding place at some point – and not for just one piece a day. However, that was another chocolate-related price Malin was willing to pay, to feel like a mother again for a little while.

Leaving aside the whole issue of enabling a chocolate addiction.

_Tuesday_

Malin once again watched in wonder as one of her girls took care of Olaf. This time, Anna got him out of the bushes in the garden, and even brushed off the dirt and thorns to make him clean and white again. She even instructed him on the least dangerous trees and bushes he could play near, knowing she couldn't completely stop him – like no one stopped her back in the day.

As Anna watched Olaf go back to playing, Malin went over to her. "So if Elsa's his mother….what does that make you?" she asked.

"Oh! Um….she made him because _we _made him back then….so I guess I'm the co-mommy?" Anna guessed. "Two moms, huh? Like he doesn't stand out enough. Or maybe I'm the aunt who lets him run wilder than his mom!"

"I don't know. The way you cleaned him up and advised him was sort of….sisterly to me," Malin figured. "Maybe even _big_ sisterly."

Anna slowly gasped, her eyes widening and looking more touched by the second. "Yeah….yeah, I think that fits. I was already five years older than him the first time, anyway."

As Anna got lost in her new role, she found a new loaded question to ask. "Did you….ever think about making me one for real?"

"Did you ever want to be one back then?" Malin found herself answering a question with a question. It was rude, but manners weren't her primary concern right now.

"I don't know if I thought about it….before Olaf 1 was born. I probably did," Anna recalled. "I'm sure I did after that. But….it might have been when I was really upset. When I wanted to show Elsa there could be _one _good big sister in here. When _I _wanted to boss around someone. Or just talk to someone other than paintings and my parents."

Malin took that in, then managed to share back, "I didn't want to have kids every three years. When you were about four-and-a-half, I started seriously thinking about it. After we closed the gates, I sometimes wondered if I had thought about it more…." She caught herself and added, "In any case, it was out of the question after that night."

"A lot of that night was _my _fault. I know that now," Anna confessed. "So then it's my fault you never got to be a mom again."

"No, no! It was mine too!" Malin promised.

"You said it was out of the question after the accident!" Anna briefly wondered if she actually got her lack of memory from her mother.

"But when the question came up, _I _closed it!" Malin revealed. "After I read book after book and couldn't find a cure for Elsa."

"A cure for her _powers,_ you mean," Anna stressed, somewhat amused she was the one correcting someone else's choice of words. "As if they needed to be cured," she said more seriously.

"We thought they did at the time," Malin said, hoping that'd be the end of that point. "When I had to accept they couldn't, and there was no solution to any of it, I broke down. I told you that the night we came back. What I didn't tell you was that at the height of my despair….your father offered that we should have another child."

"He did?" Anna repeated.

"Yes. You think he was obsessed with concealing and suppressing everything? Well, at that point, he didn't care about any of it," Malin pressed. "He didn't care how much harder it'd be to keep secrets with a new baby around. He was so desperate for me, and you, and himself to have life in this castle again….he would have given it to us. He would have juggled all of it, if I let him."

"But you turned it down," Anna understood.

"All I could see was the pain it would bring. How Elsa would have to ignore _two_ younger siblings. How you'd feel even more neglected while we cared for another child. How even a new baby wouldn't replace the ones I was losing," Malin recounted, then almost laughed. "And _that's _the crazy, illogical idea I finally put my foot down on."

Malin took a deep breath to calm down, as Anna once again took in how she didn't have a monopoly on old pain. Neither did Elsa.

"If things work out….you could always try again now," Anna offered. "Both of us could be big sisters now. And if we're too busy for you, you'll still have someone to play with. Like you couldn't play with us anymore."

"I think a _lot _needs to be worked out before we think about that," Malin dismissed.

"Well, for what it's worth, I hope you do some thinking later," Anna wished, then giggled. "If _I'm _saying that, what does that tell you?"

"A few things," Malin answered. But not the thing Anna was thinking about.

It wasn't the joke about Anna actually urging someone to think things through. It was her subtle, perhaps unknowing hope that they'd stick around long enough to think about those things. That she wanted them to stay, despite everything.

She really was good at warming up hearts. Even when she wasn't inspiring people to warm up a kingdom.

_Wednesday_

Anna stepped into her room after her morning with Kristoff, only to see Malin standing near her open closet. She wanted to yell and tell her mom to get out of her stuff – even if such a moment would make her a little warmer for some reason. Almost like they were normal, or something.

However, she was technically still posing as her personal servant. That meant cleaning up Anna's stuff was her actual job, for a while longer.

Beside, she wasn't even going through her clothes. She was going through some kind of box. _That _box.

That was even worse.

Anna rushed over, in some futile hope she could still stop her, but it was too late. In fact, she'd probably seen all of it already.

She was about done going through every card, greeting, drawing and letter Anna had slid under Elsa's door over 13 years. Every drawing of Anna and Elsa together in crayon, every hand drawn birthday and Christmas card – even the two angry letters she wrote when she was 10 and 15.

"Did she give them all back? Is that why they're here?" Malin asked.

"Yeah," Anna admitted.

"Oh….you have to understand, she must have…." Malin tried to excuse. "She couldn't have kept them then. It would have made it too hard. It must have. I don't know what you were thinking when she slid them back to you, but I hope you know now – "

"Mama!" Anna interrupted. "She gave them back to me two months ago." Then she realized, "Wait, you thought she slid them back _right after_ I gave them to her?"

"Well….that, or they were in front of her door the day after," Malin weakly defended.

"I just thought she threw them out or something. She didn't return them. I mean, that would have been worse, but…." Anna let slide. "She really did keep them all that time. Maybe it made things too hard for her, but she still kept them. So I must have brought her _some _joy when I gave them to her. She seemed to think so when she gave me that box."

"Of course," Malin said. "So, you kept it up the whole time?"

"After the angry letter when I was 15….not as much," Anna revealed, not going any further into why she'd be angry at Elsa when she was 15. Malin knew well enough. "Maybe that's why I made her a pre-birthday card before….that day. Or maybe I needed something to do to pass those last slow hours by."

Malin found and picked up that last card at the bottom of the pile. Anna's artistic talent at 18 wasn't excessively different from when she was 8. Yet she still made the images clear.

They were of a smiling Elsa wearing her tiara, facing a group of people who were smiling and bowing proudly at their new queen. One of them being Anna – although she was in the back row.

"She might not have smiled if she saw me in the front. At least that's what I figured then. Ironic enough, she did nothing but smile at me the first few minutes at the ball, for real," Anna clarified.

"I'm sure she smiled when she saw these. If only for a little while," Malin smiled. "Your adoration always made her smile. It still does." As this account of Elsa's adoration made Anna smile, Malin still asked, "Did she ever….make anything for you? Whether you kept it or not?"

"She said no. Maybe that made her feel guilty enough to give this back," Anna predicted. "I bet I gave her enough guilt when I gave her these to begin with."

"You gave her many more better things. That I'm sure of," Malin grew certain of.

Anna feared it might trigger tears or an argument, if her mother was reminded again of how Anna couldn't give Elsa anything in person. Yet once again, the past didn't bring about any more tears or screams.

When had it since they came back, really? Other than those two times? At least for Anna?

That might be worth thinking about more than any uplifting/depressing drawing.

_Thursday_

Wednesdays were Malin and Elsa's day together before that night. About a year afterwards, she made Thursdays her day with Anna. However, even that got to be too much for her after four years.

Technically, every day this week was already a day with Anna. Nevertheless, when Malin brought up their Thursdays together yesterday, Anna knew this Thursday would have to stand out.

When it was summer, they liked having a picnic lunch outside on a nice Thursday afternoon. The sun was shining, there was no cold or wind to deal with, and for once, being in their own small little world wasn't so bad.

Of course, it wasn't summer now. The cold and wind was more of a bother, although it was hardly the coldest day of the week today. The world was more wide open, yet Anna didn't want to go out to eat, or even stay in the castle.

She wanted a picnic outside – even in the December winter with snow on the ground. Even though having a winter picnic would look weird enough, without it being between the Princess and a servant. Even though there could always be some old time official who came by and remembered the Princess's last outdoor Thursday picnics – and who they were with.

It was a risk, if not outright illogical. Yet Anna missed taking illogical risks these last few weeks, and being happy about it. Besides, it wasn't a risk – it was recapturing a rare, untainted treasured moment with her mother. No matter how silly it might look to anyone else.

Yet no one else went by and saw Anna and Malin eating out in the open, snowy grass. At least no one old enough to connect any dots. Given the Princess's…..eccentric reputation, it really wasn't out of the ordinary for her to have picnics in the snow. In fact, bringing a servant into this was probably just some weird initiation.

As much as Anna didn't like being dismissed as a weirdo sometimes – especially when she herself did it during her lower moments – there were times it was for the best. Besides, being weird in the service of doing something with someone she loved was the best kind of weird.

Maybe Malin couldn't let herself feel the same before, since she was Queen. Queens tended to do their share of concealing weirdness, at least out in the open. But she wasn't Queen anymore now. On this day, she could freely eat a picnic lunch outside in the winter time with her daughter.

Of course, she could have kept doing it freely back then too, since she was powerful enough to get away with it. She just didn't have the will, the strength or the lack of guilt to keep going.

The latter part probably hadn't gone away yet. But the first two were getting stronger – in mother and daughter.

Plus, the daughter really had to give it to the mother. She chose the chocolate pieces from her new secret hiding place very well, if the two pieces she brought along meant anything.

_Friday_

Anna held on tight and didn't fall off Sven as he rode around the stables. It certainly went smoother than the first few times she rode him without Kristoff. And now perhaps it would give her mother something to shoot for.

Once Sven stopped in front of Malin and Kristoff, Anna jumped off and came close to landing straight on her own two feet. "Okay, your turn!" Anna gestured to her mother.

"You're certain I don't need a saddle?" Malin asked tentatively. "When I rode horses, I needed a saddle. And I haven't ridden _any_ animal in years. There's no saddle equivalent for riders like that?"

"We didn't need one, and it worked fine for us," Kristoff noted. "Let's go with what we know works, okay?"

Malin went over to Sven and slowly ran a hand over his neck and back. "I used to ride horses with the strongest, safest pedigree. Back when it was possible to take them far in Arendelle, anyway. Riding a reindeer without a sled….I doubt any queen or king ever tried that."

"Well, now you've found another good thing about not being Queen anymore," Anna encouraged. "Go on, he's not gonna hurt you! He lives with you half the week now, so he can't afford to!"

Malin studied Sven again, then turned back to Kristoff. "He's your best friend. Only one person other than you rides him. You're going pretty far to forge a bond with your girlfriend's mother, don't you think?"

"Your daughter has ways to make you go pretty far. In the best, well behaved ways, I mean!" Kristoff jumped ahead, perhaps too much so.

"I see…." Malin confirmed with a curious frown.

"Oh, I'm sure a nice ride will make you forget all about my ways. Go on!" Anna cheered on.

Malin cleared her head and approached Sven again. "Okay then….I don't interfere with your corner at home, no matter how messy it is. I gave birth to the women who gave you a home, and your owner needs to appease his girlfriend. You and I pretty much _have_ to get along just fine."

With that reminder fresh in their minds, Malin boosted herself up and got herself onto Sven. She tried not to hold on too tight to his fur and neck, and avoided grabbing onto his antlers too hard. But eventually, she was able to sit up comfortably on him.

"There you go!" Anna praised. "You never forget how to ride stuff! I got too rusty to ride my bike, but that's not here or there!" Pointing forward, Anna ordered, "Sven, go on and take my mom over there. Nice and easy."

However, Sven's standards of nice and easy weren't on the same page with Anna's, or Malin's.

That standard nearly made Malin fall off as he got going. It made her have to lay on her stomach and wrap her arms around his neck to hold on. This in turn made Sven more uncoordinated, but he kept riding to his destination as ordered, while Malin clung on for dear life. A small attempt to try and sit up nearly failed miserably, but she made it so it only failed.

Anna and Kristoff raced after them until they finally stopped. When Sven finally stayed still, Malin let go and dropped like a bag of rocks on the ground. At that point, Anna caught up to her – and once Malin's nerves were manageable, she noticed Anna had her hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh too loud.

She would have noticed it was a very Elsa-like gesture. If she wasn't trying not to yell herself. "What could possibly be funny….about _that_?" Malin tried to keep a level head while asking Anna.

"I know, I know! But the way you hung on and looked so….over your head….I've never seen you look that….not Queeny before!" Anna exclaimed. "You looked more like _me _than a Queen. I wasn't going for that, I swear, but….I see the family resemblance now."

It was nice that it took near paralysis and a near heart attack for her to see it. But Malin didn't have the heart to tell her that - and not just because her heart was probably still in her stomach.

If it took that kind of risk to forge another little bond with her daughter….at least she was better equipped to take real risks now.

And Anna risked herself for her in kind, by enduring Malin's bone crushing hugs from behind when they rode Sven together.

_Saturday_

Anna's ribs were just fine as Malin headed out with her, to fulfill a much less crazy request today. This time, she only asked to go to the docks, to see the boat her parents used to get back home. It was still parked right where they left it, as it had slipped their mind to set it aside elsewhere.

Especially since they were never planning on using it again. At that point back then, they didn't think they'd have to. Or use anything else to leave Arendelle again.

Yet after three weeks of neglect, the boat still looked sea worthy. Anna climbed on board, wowing at how it was just like Gaspar described at bedtime. "So this is what brought you guys back," she said with wonder.

"It did its job," Malin stated. "It endured storms better than a boat 40 times its size. And with a crew 20 times as small."

"I guess planning and being too careful doesn't always work after all. I gotta remember that for….future stuff," Anna hinted. "What about you? You guys gonna try more of the sea life any time soon?"

"We haven't thought that far ahead," Malin answered. "Truthfully, conquering the sea once was probably enough. We're even now, so it seems like a good place to call a truce."

"Well, from one person who died at sea to another…." Anna let escape. Instead of giving actual advice, she froze – but not for the first time in this area.

Without a word, Anna went to the decks and pointed outward. "I froze right over there. I saved Elsa right over there….and she saved Arendelle there too," she explained. "I mean, the fjord was frozen most of the time, and I didn't drown, but….I kind of died at sea too. And I came back, just like you. This is the first time I've been back since then."

As Anna realized all of this, Malin looked out to the horizon. Once she saw where Anna pointed at, she tried to piece together the view with the various accounts she'd heard about the end of the Great Freeze. About the near end of her daughters.

"But I never died. Not really," Malin corrected. "You did. And I was never almost murdered. Elsa was."

"Well….maybe _that's_ why I didn't see you guys after I froze. Cause you weren't dead," Anna reasoned. "Maybe I should have figured it out then. But I _was_ kind of busy. Hoping Elsa wasn't really dead, dealing with pitch black and cold, being sucked into a white light, that kind of stuff."

"There's an actual white light when you're near death?" Malin asked. "I must have been knocked out too hard to see it. Or maybe my memories of that were wiped out too."

"Lucky you," Anna praised. "I mean, I know that white light was sending me back _now_. But back then, I thought it was….and I just kept thinking….I wish I'd have yelled 'I love you' to Elsa instead of 'No!' So she knew I always had and always would. I could at least have given her that much for eternity. Other than my life and all."

"At least you could think before and during your death. My storm wasn't that merciful," Malin remembered. "I couldn't even send a silent 'I love you' to either of you. That would have been a fitting way to go, though."

"But you didn't. For some crazy reason, _we _didn't," Anna shared. "We should have died at sea, and now here we are, alive at sea. How crazy is that?"

"The best kind of crazy," Malin didn't hesitate to answer. Anna had no words to top that, and for once, didn't attempt to try. At least until another topic popped up.

"I never even told Elsa. About the white light part," Anna revealed. "She feels bad enough about it, you know? Even now."

"She _feels_…." Malin packed several conflicting emotions into that one, haunting word.

"She never _stopped _feeling, you know. No matter what you told her. She feels even more than me," Anna shared. "The only time she didn't seem to feel at all, at least to me, was….when she was out there. Right before I….jumped in front of her."

"Like she was ready to die," Malin's throat tightened, as she saw it clearly now. "She was ready because she thought she killed you. We made her fear she would if she came near you, and she thought we were right all along. Then she actually _saw _you freeze and die…."

"That time she _did_ feel. I heard her crying while I was going through that light," Anna recalled. "I wish I didn't feel so….surprised when I realized it. I mean, since I thought she hated me, maybe I didn't think she'd…._feel_ if I left her alone forever. Like I thought she always wanted..."

Without any warning or words, Anna had her words and breath forced out of her by the force of her mother's hug. She breathed heavily into her ear, like she was trying to come up with words, but she couldn't find any that were good enough.

They came for Elsa almost two weeks ago. But it was hard enough to find the right words of regret for crimes she committed against _one _daughter. This time, she could only stick to hugs and the occasional sob.

And yet she was being held and hugged back by a daughter anyway.

_Now _she was ahead of the sea for good.

"Malin? Anna?"

Apparently they weren't the only ones coming here to get ahead as well.

"What are _you two _doing here?" Elsa asked, once Anna and Malin noticed her and Gaspar on the docks below.

"Oh! I, um….guess the same thing you are?" Anna snapped out of it. "Did you wanna join us?"

"No, that's all right," Malin recovered. "We should go. We had our private moment on here. Mostly. Let's let them have theirs." Anna looked ready to question that, yet Malin took her hand and led her off the boat anyway.

In spite of having just shared a hug with her, holding her hand felt just as intimate and soothing. Felt just as new and strange, yet just as familiar and as much like….a long lost home. One not even the sea had washed away quite yet.

As such, even after they left the boat and the rest of the family, they took another extra minute or two to let go.

_Sunday_

"Is this our last week together?" Malin suddenly asked Anna, as they watched the sun set outside the cottage.

"Well…of this month, it is. You've got Elsa next, remember?" Anna reminded.

"And then what? Then the arrangement is over, and then what?" Malin said. "If we come forward as the King and Queen, we'll have royal duties again. Even if we don't have to go back on the throne, we can't just quietly retire. And we can't stay Maurice and Idina forever either. No matter what….soon we won't have weeks like this together again. It's just hitting me now."

"Oh. I guess we didn't think that through," Anna figured out.

"Soon we'll have to. So what if this is….the best it's going to get?" Malin proposed. "It's still not enough. What can we do?"

"You're asking me?" Anna struggled to understand. "_You're _my mother. You're the Queen."

"You're the one with the better judgment between us. In _most_ times that count," Malin qualified. "So I'm giving myself to _your _wisdom. What do you think we should do? I'm giving you the kind of say we….didn't give you back then."

That was a funny way to do it, Anna thought. But she didn't let herself say it out loud. Not like she knew what to say out loud instead. Elsa was the one who could juggle tricky stuff like this, not her.

So Anna stuck to what she did know. "Let's just not think about it right now," she settled on.

"I thought I just explained why we had to," Malin recapped.

"We really don't _have to_ for another week," Anna said. "We start now, how are you gonna enjoy your last week with Elsa? And how am I gonna make it with Papa?"

"It's be nice if we knew it wouldn't be our last week. And how," Malin insisted.

"See, there you go again! Being afraid of what _could _happen! Isn't that how this whole mess got started?" Anna figured out pretty well, if she said so herself.

"In a way..." Malin was on the ropes.

"Look, I'm watching the sun set with my mother. Who's not dead. I can finally just think about _that _now. Not the other stuff. You have to know that's huge for me!" Anna pressed.

"Can't we just savor that a while longer? Can't we _just _do that? We're way overdue for it, right?" Anna asked. "We wasted 13 years. Do we gotta waste one more week too?"

"Do we _have to_," Malin corrected. "You had it right the first time."

"That's not the right thing I was going for," Anna grumbled.

"I know, sweetheart. But they're both right just fine," Malin admitted. Once Anna looked appeased and happy, everything was fine for this one moment. This one week.

For once, the future wouldn't be allowed to ruin the next one. Not with Malin's help, anyway.


	15. Elsa and the King

_Monday_

Anna didn't question how Elsa knew to skate, or knew enough to try and teach her, that day in the courtyard. If she had, she'd wonder how Elsa could skate when she never left her room. Then she might assume she made skating rinks in her own room, even though she was obsessed with never using her powers.

In the first few years of her isolation, however, she did get bored enough to skate around in her room – right before the fear completely took over. Then on the day she made the courtyard ice rink, adrenaline, distant self-taught lessons, her own natural skill and the joy of having Anna back carried her through.

Over the next seven months, she tried to fine tune it when she could, however. The ideal time for it was the time between her morning meetings and her afternoon time with Anna. It calmed her down after work, and helped her gather up all the energy she'd need to keep up with Anna.

On this day, however, she had an audience.

Fortunately, work was grueling enough for her to ignore the shadow/stigma of her father watching her magic – somewhat. She just focused on getting to the nearest private ice rink, forming her skates, and letting the movements, patterns and quiet take over.

Before long, she did what she eventually managed to do here. Lose herself in her own world – a world of her own that actually wasn't consumed by grief and shame. A world that didn't have the necessary evil chaos of her duties as queen, or even the necessary good chaos of her duties as a sister. A world where it was just her – and it was something to be proud of.

But someone else was feeling a long lost sense of pride as well.

After all those lost, wasted years of suppressing Elsa, watching her use her powers without fear was still something Gaspar hadn't gotten used to. But in this case, she only used them to make the ice skates. Only then did she use abilities that had nothing to do with magic.

Not ice magic.

Her powers had come to define her entire life. Her entire self of self-worth. Her entire arsenal of self-hatred and fear. So much of it was Gaspar's fault. So was the fact that he let it overshadow every other talent Elsa had.

Her intelligence. Her love. Her compassion. Her devotion. And now this. And yet here it was, out on the surface and out in the open. And here she was, looking so at peace with it.

Not the trained, rehearsed, fake peace she'd put on for 10 years, if she even managed to fake that much. The calm she projected now, as she demonstrated a talent that completely came from within, through her own brilliance and inner peace….that was real.

That was something he'd given up hoping for years ago. Maybe that's why she did too.

Now he could see it right in front of his eyes. As it turned out, so did Kristoff.

Just as Elsa came here to unwind after an exhausting morning with the council, Kristoff was recovering from an even more exhausting morning with Anna. Yet he offered to give the Queen and former King peace while he collapsed in the snow.

Instead, Elsa surprised her father anew. Kristoff was taken more by surprise, however, once Elsa brought him onto the ice rink and made skates appear on his feet too.

Elsa reasoned since Kristoff would have to dance at the upcoming Christmas ball, and neither of them could picture him on a dance floor, perhaps he could learn a form of dancing here. Plus she figured there's no way he would fall all over himself more than he had this morning.

When Kristoff had no possible way to counter that, Elsa took his wrists and tried to glide through the ice with him. She finally gave up after his third fall.

There wasn't much time before the afternoon and Kristoff now had more healing to do, so Elsa took pity on him and let him go. Yet she still held onto his wrist, without fear of freezing it, until she could take him off the rink. She then melted his ice skates like it was nothing, and even willingly touched him again – if only to get his coat a little neater.

She even talked to him – not like she would a council member, or a visiting citizen, or even Anna or Olaf. Certainly not like she would to Gaspar or Malin. It was still somewhat reserved, as everything with Elsa always was and probably always would be. But there was an ease and a comradery laced into it too.

Like the one that someone would have with a friend.

Elsa had a sister and a family at various times in her life. She had subjects and political partners. She even had subjects who adored her now. But in all the times Gaspar had seen her interact with people, he never saw her act like….a regular friend. Probably because she never made one.

Now she was someone who could. And with her sister's….friend. Even in spite of Anna's last….friend.

Not for the first time, Gaspar knew this was an Elsa he had never known before.

Not for the first time, he was becoming very pleased to know her now.

_Tuesday_

Like she did with Malin, Elsa let Gaspar spend more time in her study – his old study. It brought back more and more memories for him, which was certainly fitting.

But Elsa remembered more and more as well. Like how she came into this room, even as late as a few weeks after her eighth birthday, to watch her father at work. How she knew not to disturb him while he was studying or writing an agreement or proposal, and just marveled at seeing him do his duty. How she somehow kept Anna from crawling around too much when she came in.

And how he put his two daughters on his knees to sit with him before bedtime.

Now she was watching her father work at his table again – leaving aside how it was her table now. How he was going over her reports, her documents and her proposals. How she was seeing him study over her hard work.

And leaving aside how the prospect of him going over her work, and her actions, used to be terrifying. But this was about Queen work, not ice work – there was a difference. Presumably.

"Hold on…." Gaspar said as he looked over a document. "Shipment from the Eastern Isles to come in on time next week? You….you made diplomatic relations with the Eastern Isles?"

"I know, I know. It was a hard sell to Anna too, but she knows East isn't South! I think…." Elsa hoped.

"No, I don't mean it like that. I tried for years to make agreements with the Eastern Isles. Before the isolation," Gaspar revealed. "I could never make an alliance with them. But you did?"

"We needed to make alliances with everyone we could," Elsa explained. "Once I struck a deal with them, a lot fell into place. Then I could clear my schedule for Anna."

"How did you do it?" Gaspar actually looked in awe. Of _her._ "They weren't….intimidated by your offers. Were they?"

"I didn't scare them with my powers," Elsa briefly frowned. "I did the exact opposite. I boosted their ego. They're never been the biggest fans of the South. So I encouraged them to….kick them while they were down by joining with us. Their regime's been coasting on good will ever since. And we've gotten some valuable supplies in the meantime."

"You used what the South did….or at least what that man did….as part of a bargain with the East?" Gaspar summed up.

"What he did made….that act of true love possible. In the evilest way," Elsa recounted. "So I exploited it in a better way. I made the enemy of my enemy into my friend, and I gave my enemy something else to stew about. The perfect, pragmatic deal."

"That it is…." Gaspar praised. "Especially with these smaller alliances to go with it. All of this is just…." He paused, searching for the right words. "You….you're reminding me of what it was like when royalty _did _something around here. Something worthwhile."

That wasn't quite how Gaspar wanted it to come out. He had more heartfelt words caught in his brain, but they didn't make their way out. Maybe he could force them out now.

But if he had to force them, then what did that say? Then again, if he meant them, what did it matter? Shouldn't the important thing be to give his daughter the most unabashed, emotional praise possible?

After slowly forgetting how for years? After letting Elsa become too scared to accept it and believe it? Yeah, there it was.

And yet by the standard of the past, this was the most unabashed praise he'd given Elsa in years – the most unabashed she could believe. Maybe that was why she looked so touched and smiled that big anyway.

It might be why knowing he thought she was doing good as queen was enough. Even if he should have said more.

But who was he to ruin that by pushing his luck? And risk that he'd tarnish this great, overdue moment for her by failing?

By the standards of the past, this was the biggest bonding moment they'd shared in such a long time. Even if it was just to praise her professional work.

Maybe that was why Gaspar couldn't risk that much by getting greedy. Not at this moment.

_Wednesday_

It was one thing for Elsa to see her father look like a King again in his study. It was another thing to see it happen with his people.

Although Wednesday's used to be her day out with her mother, Elsa took her father into town anyway. Olaf didn't come with them, no kids followed them around until later, and they only asked for a bunch of snowballs for their own little war.

But it wasn't just Elsa who used a royal touch with them.

Gaspar had to be Maurice for much of the outing, as he stayed in character in talking with children, shopkeepers – and even with his favorite chocolate vendors, in spite of his hunger. Yet the way he talked with them and made himself look at ease with them was all Gaspar.

It was funny how he had amnesia, yet memories kept coming back to Elsa now as well. This time, it was the memories of Gaspar's common touch with the people during royal outings. How he made everyone feel listened to when they stopped him on the street, even if they were interrupting family time or his official schedule. How he didn't talk down to anyone and showed Elsa and Anna not to do it too.

Even as a servant, he seemed to ease his way into talks with people. He knew when to speak praise on behalf of the Queen, kept in character even when talking to people he knew long ago, and didn't look worn out or put out of his way.

He looked like he knew exactly what he was doing when he talked with them. A true diplomat. A true King of the people still, even if he didn't have the job anymore.

Even if he still didn't have that mastery with his own daughter.

There was a time where this came easy to him all the time. But years of isolation, necessary neglect and semi-necessary fear eroded that skill in him. Yet he could still bring it back even now – just not all the way with Elsa. Maybe not even with Anna, although Elsa hadn't dared to ask her about that yet.

The best explanation was that it was easier with them, because it meant less with them. Of course, Elsa liked to believe all the people still meant something to him.

But there wasn't as much at stake, or as much emotional baggage to work through, when he was talking with an ordinary citizen. Perhaps that's why the words and the relaxation came easier – when there wasn't as much to lose.

That's why it took a while for Elsa to get it right with Anna. Then again, for her, the words and relaxation didn't come easier with everyone else. Plus her and Anna were pretty easy together in those first minutes at the coronation, and those first days after the thaw, before harsher realities set in.

She knew that her and her father were easier now – a lot more than three weeks ago. She knew that for a fact. But being truly free and easy, and unburdened by the past….maybe it would always be easier for them with others.

Like it was easier for Elsa with Anna, Kristoff and Olaf – eventually. Like it was starting to be with her mother.

Like it was easier for her father with her mother. And maybe Anna. And other people with whom he didn't have so much left to work through.

They were working on it, without a doubt. In their own way. Yet….there were still bars and levels of comfort left to shoot for. For both of them.

It had to mean something that he was getting his common touch back. That it hadn't gone away after years of being away. Like it didn't with Anna.

Even with all her progress, Elsa knew she would never completely master that skill. Not like the former king and current princess.

But….maybe she could still honor it.

_Thursday_

Gaspar wasn't supposed to say anything as he watched the morning council meetings. That was harder on some days than others – especially this one.

"Your Highness, are you fully aware of what you're asking?" Van Garrett asked.

"Very much so," Elsa said evenly. "I want a completely open Christmas ball. I don't want it limited to just us. _Every citizen_ of Arendelle who is able to go, and wants to go, can come inside the castle. That's what I'm implementing. Not asking."

"But Your Highness, are you sure you're up for that?" Van Garrett questioned. "Will you be that comfortable with….that kind of expanded audience?"

"I've been comfortable with them lately. I want the people to know I plan to get more comfortable in the future," Elsa explained. "I can't do it if I don't reach out more, can I?"

"But to this extent?" Van Garrett asked again. "Even if we could fit everyone in the hall, how could we feed them all? How would we expand our resources for them? Especially on just a week's notice?"

"We have new supplies coming in. And I'm sure Idina and Gerda would get the staff well prepared," Elsa answered. "I'm not saying there won't be challenges. We'll need a few days to straighten out the budget and logistics. But I want them straightened out and announced to the people….our guests….by Monday morning. That should give them time to get ready."

"Your Highness, don't you think we should be….more careful than that?" Van Garrett objected again. "Just because you invite the entire kingdom, doesn't mean every guest will be friendly. The last thing we need is enemies disrupting things on Christmas. Or to make it easier for them to get in."

"The math tells me we'd still have a majority of friends to help us. We might even gain a few new ones," Elsa countered.

"All it takes is one to ruin everything! You know that!" Van Garrett replied. "If one prince could worm his way through our open gates and almost bring us down, what could one or several commoners or spies do? We have to be more secure than that! Like we were…."

"Under my father?" Elsa finished for him. At that point, Gaspar and Van Garrett struggled to hold their tongues, for vastly different reasons.

Elsa's own tongue got heavier too. This was the first time she would bring up her father in chambers, while her father was there. Even if only one other person knew the significance. This was no time to get nervous and feel the frost.

The Elsa who was arguing for this open ball wouldn't.

The king of Arendelle in the first eight years of her life wouldn't.

"Some of you only worked under my father….after I turned eight," Elsa said, without specifically referring to Van Garrett. "You only knew him as the reclusive king of isolation. You didn't see him up close as the open, giving man and ruler he really was. No matter how hard it is for me…._that's _the example my father set that I want Arendelle to live by now."

Focusing on Van Garrett, Elsa added, "I would have thought someone who's spent a lifetime honoring him would jump at the chance."

Gaspar didn't know if he felt like scolding Elsa for taking that tone with a Prime Minister, and an old friend. Or tearing up at how she actually still wanted to live by his example – the best example he had. Or bowing down as a show of solidarity – which he might be able to get away with. Or just giving her a hug for all of it – which he'd have to wait to do until after the meeting.

Van Garrett clearly didn't know what to say either, and he was clearly forcing his emotion down as well. Perhaps not all positive ones. Nevertheless, he put a diplomatic mask back on at the end.

"No one else wants to honor your father's legacy more than me. His true legacy. If that is what this will achieve, then….we can make it worth the risk," he conceded.

"Thank you, Mr. Van Garrett," Elsa put her mask back on as well, fully aware that she was….more snarky at the end than Queens normally are. Princesses, maybe, but not Queens. In any case, she concluded, "If there are no more objections, we can start straightening out the plans and budget now. It might give us less to do on the weekend."

The rest of the council approved of that, if nothing else. With the motion seemingly carried, Elsa moved business along – hiding the nerves, relief, pride and elation inside of her. No matter who had seen her little tribute.

Gaspar went about the business of observing – hiding the shock, relief, pride and fatherly warmth inside of him. No matter how much harder it was to keep doing it in public.

_Friday_

Gaspar couldn't hug Elsa after the meeting – not with the other tasks she had to get done before her afternoon with Anna. After that, she had to go over preliminary budget reports for the expanded party, so she was pretty busy at night too.

However, by the time Friday night came, Gaspar had swallowed his latest bout of shame over not reaching out to Elsa. Instead, he'd spent all day gathering the courage to try a different way.

"I'd like to make a personal request. If that's possible," Gaspar started out formerly to Elsa in the study.

"You may…." Elsa curiously gave her permission.

"If there's enough free time tomorrow….I would like to go out into town with you," Gaspar started, then got to the important part. "To the docks. I believe the boat that brought me to Arendelle is still there. I'd like to check on it….with your help."

"You want me to go on your boat?" Elsa simply asked, then asked less simply, "You want me to go on _a _boat…."

"Yes. I know what that means," Gaspar conveyed.

"I've only been on a boat once in the last three-and-a-half years. And it was buried underneath my ice first. And I was only standing over it….kneeling over it because…." Elsa remembered the other reason why boats were so traumatizing. Even in moments that later turned out to be the happiest ones.

"I know," was all Gaspar would say about it. For now. "But you may have to go on voyages yourself someday. The best way to prepare is to get on a boat that already works. I think warming up like that would help you. I….I would like the chance to help you. _Actually _help you. In the open and everything."

Whenever her father tried to help before, even with the best of intentions, the worst happened. For 10 straight years, anyway. Between that trauma and the one about boats, it should have made Elsa say no. Her father had to know that, yet he let himself ask her anyway.

He had to know that….and he said he would _actually _help her, in the open, anyway. Not like before.

This was one fear he couldn't cure with gloves, or slogans that couldn't work. And he didn't want to. He was reaching out to her, hoping to do it better. To prove to her, and maybe him, that he could do it better.

Terrific. How was she supposed to turn away from that?

Why should she still want to?

"Okay," she answered Gaspar instead. "Okay. I'll make room late in the morning."

"Good. Thank you. Your Majesty," Gaspar replied. He hoped that didn't come across as mockery, for finding a way to fit her father into her schedule.

The bow that he gave her – the bow he had to give his Queen in public, but still gave his daughter in private anyway – came across much better.

_Saturday_

The shock of seeing Anna and Malin at the boat first threw Elsa and Gaspar off. But only for a few more moments after they left. At least for Gaspar.

Elsa took a few more moments to get herself on board, as Gaspar was already on deck by then. She stayed next to the rails as Gaspar looked over the boat, making sure it was still sea worthy. "Do you need any help?" Elsa asked, if only to do something other than stand around with her thoughts and memories.

"It's all right. It's a small boat, it never needed much of a crew," Gaspar assured. "We're just going to sail around the fjord, that's all. There'll be no chance of crashing, trust me."

That didn't mean other disasters couldn't strike. Although Elsa didn't need to help with the boat, she was helping just by keeping herself from freezing it. She made sure not to touch anything, just in case, as she tried to center herself.

Without Anna or her mother around, watching her father navigate his way through the boat – instead of sinking in one – would have to do. After a while, Elsa found that it actually was doing some good. Once she saw him untie the boat from the docks, wheel up the anchor and take the steering wheel, she was left more in awe than fear.

Her father was the most accomplished person she had ever known, but this level of accomplishment was beyond her. For all his work as a servant in recent weeks, she had never seen him work with his hands like this before. She had never seen him look so….at odds with the man she had once known, and look so at ease with it.

Maybe Elsa wasn't the only one of them who'd become brand new these last three years.

These thoughts kept her steady as Gaspar took the boat out into the fjord. He didn't take it too far away from the docks or from Arendelle, like he promised. This was a very small voyage, not the big ones Elsa might have to take someday. But she couldn't work her way up to the big ones without taking smaller steps – or sailing them, in this case.

Her father was actually teaching her that. She was really learning from him again. Learning something other than concealing – something that could _work_.

And then she reached the culmination of her greatest failure. Their greatest failure.

"This is it," Elsa muttered before she knew it. "Oh God, this is it…" she muttered again, as the nerves came right back.

"What is? There's nothing around but open sea. We can't crash out here," Gaspar thought he was being reassuring.

"It was right here," Elsa ignored him. "I was on this spot when Anna….died for me. When I was ready to…"

Gaspar went away from the steering wheel and went over to Elsa. She squeezed her hands into fists to contain the cold and the memories, and to resist the urge to hug herself in front of her father. He then looked around at the sea around them and put the rest together.

"Right here?" Gaspar repeated. "You two….almost died at sea too. A frozen sea, but….but you made it. Just like us."

"If Anna had been a second too late….neither of us would have made it," Elsa shared. "She'd be frozen forever, I'd have been dead….and I wouldn't have even heard or seen her one more time. I was just….too ready to go."

"To go…." Gaspar fully took in.

"I didn't even think that….at least I'd see you and Mama again. Or Anna. Not after Hans told me…." Elsa said. "I mean….the place where I thought you all were….I probably gave up thinking a long time ago that I'd join you there. Even before I thought Anna was there."

After a pause, she went a step further with, "If we sank right now….who knows if six months of good behavior would get me there now?"

Even Elsa knew that was too morbid, especially in front of him. She clenched her fists again and willed herself to stop it, if only because they weren't going to die. If only because she'd have plenty of time to be worthy. Maybe 13 or more years of Heavenly behavior would cancel out 13 years of….other kinds, for all she knew.

What she didn't know, at least until she turned her head, was that Gaspar wasn't so composed.

In fact, he'd gone out to the front of the boat, leaned his head over the rails and started heaving.

Probably not because of sea sickness.

Sea sickness didn't make him collapse to his knees. It didn't make him sound like he was struggling to breathe right now. Elsa wouldn't have run that fast to him if she thought that was all it was.

She stopped once she was standing right behind him, as she didn't know whether to go further. He stayed on his knees, heaving and breathing heavy – once again looking nothing like the man she knew over the previous decade. This time, it wasn't so heartwarming.

Finally, he forced himself to speak, although his voice wasn't entirely clearer or calmer. "You are….and always have been….the most perfect, good girl I have ever known," he rasped out – seeming to forget about Anna and Malin in the process.

"If there's a place in Hell for one of us….it will _never _be yours. _You_ didn't kill your sister. What I did practically _murdered _my _two _daughters….well before your coronation….so I've got you beat," Gaspar shuddered and held himself. "Anna was right. It's unforgivable. I can't even ask for mercy on Earth, can I?"

Elsa nearly ran over to him and gave it anyway. What a place it would be to do it – on the sea, on the spot where Elsa and Anna died and were reborn….

….a place that would have had no significance if Gaspar had shown his regret _years _ago.

Heck, he didn't even seem to show regret three weeks ago.

He had 10 years to realize he had made a mistake. If he'd realized it after nine years and 11 months, then maybe the Great Freeze never would have happened. Maybe her and Anna could have gotten to cry together and realize love would thaw after they were orphaned. Maybe they never would have disappeared at all.

But he didn't realize it. And they crashed. And the freeze happened. And Elsa was ready to accept eternal misery. And Anna died right here.

Now he was bawling like _he _was the one who suffered the most. Now he was bawling _after _the damage had been done. Now he thought one 13-years late apology – one where he hadn't even said 'I'm sorry' yet – would correct everything he let happen.

For one brief second, Elsa didn't want to be merciful on him anymore.

Then she looked at him again.

Looked at the broken, regretful, ashamed man that….pretty much mirrored the broken, regretful, ashamed woman she was seven months ago. Both at the fjord and at her parents room.

And yet she got mercy she might not have deserved. Now look where she was because of it.

In any case….how could yelling at him about the past and his mistakes make any difference, when he knew all about them already? He'd beaten himself up enough, he'd left no point left in her doing it too. What could she make him feel guilty about that he wasn't already guilty over now?

She wanted to try. Part of her felt entitled to try. Part of her had wanted to try for 13 years and felt particularly….vengeful right now. Vengeful enough to forget her own part in letting it happen – and the better example Anna had set for her.

And the sad truth still was….Gaspar's anger and shame only hurt himself. Elsa's anger could still _kill _others. With that kind of risk, how irresponsible would she be to express it? Didn't she almost kill enough family members?

There was no point in it. Nothing left to accomplish from it. What more could she make Gaspar do and accept that he hadn't already? What right did she have to make it even worse for him, when it would achieve nothing - except ruin any chance he had to be better?

If this anger had built up inside for 13 years without escape….she could keep it in another 13 more. And 13 more after that. Letting it go – at least on him – would just further kick a man who was already kicking himself. Almost as much as she had.

Anna pushed aside all the bitterness she was entitled to feel towards Elsa. Even if she had some left over for her parents. Nevertheless, Elsa could put hers aside for her father now.

Leaving aside how Anna actually, truly had no more anger towards Elsa.

As for Elsa….it didn't matter. It couldn't now. It wouldn't anymore.

Finally speaking out loud, she told her father, "Go ahead and ask. There's nothing left to forgive."

At that moment, for whatever reason, she truly meant it.

Meant it enough to kneel down behind him, and wrap her arms around him like Anna did for her. It wasn't quite like her last embrace at the fjord, though. In a couple of ways. But the thaw here wouldn't have to be so great this time.

Gaspar stopped heaving and took Elsa's hands, holding them freely like he hadn't done for years. Somehow, that was a calming effect. _Elsa _was a calming effect.

With that realization, Elsa melted enough to lay her head against her father's back, as they began to breathe normally. Here in a sea that they had associated with death, near death, chaos and torment, there was actual peace and tranquility now.

In this boat, on this ocean, people in this royal family actually felt peace.

At least more of it than they had in a long time together.

At least too much of it to risk ruining it again.

_Sunday_

After going on that boat, going to the graveyard should have been overkill. But here Elsa was – standing over her father's grave with her father next to her.

She'd finally gone here with Anna a week after the Great Thaw – and one week before she renounced her parents in their room. Maybe that helped fuel her to go there in the first place.

All the words she was thinking and couldn't say at the graveyard, she kept inside until she said them in their room. All the words she could have said now, she had already said in other places. Quite frankly, there was nothing left.

If anyone could have said something, standing over his own grave, it was Gaspar. But it was too surreal for him to come up with anything. In any case, his words and emotions were already drained out yesterday. And things had ended too well for him to risk riling them up again.

So here father and daughter were, at the place where father was proclaimed at rest, and where daughter was only at for the second time. But after everything, coming here now almost felt anticlimactic.

After everything else they'd been through, worked over and re-experienced, it seemed like this open wound had already taken care of itself. That was the best way for open wounds to go away. To close.

No good reason left to let them open again now.


	16. Family Dinners

It took a lot of effort to make this historic event happen. Elsa had to make absolutely sure all Christmas ball business was done for the day, Gaspar and Malin had to claim they needed to take off work early, and Kai and Gerda had to sneak in the necessary food to the cottage.

But when it was all said and done, Elsa, Anna, Gaspar, Malin and Kristoff were eating dinner together, around Kristoff's table. Sven had even refrained from shedding on it today and everything.

The historic implications of the other parts of this dinner struck Anna first. "Look at this…" she started. "This is the first time in 13 years….we've had a real, honest to goodness family dinner. With the whole family! We even got a plus one and everything!"

"_Have _a plus one," Elsa said a split second before Malin did.

"Yes, mother," Anna answered back. "We almost _have _a plus two, too! I mean, if Olaf hadn't been too swamped with igloo cleaning to join us."

"What would he have eaten if he did?" Gaspar wondered. "Elsa, what is a talking snowman's diet, anyway?"

"I just created him and made him love warm hugs. He makes up his other quirks on his own," Elsa stated. "But he can lose and gain weight at will after every snow storm. So I suppose he doesn't have to be picky."

"You can have a steady diet on a lot of interesting things," Kristoff started, then thought better. "Perhaps that's a conversation for….somewhere not at the dinner table, though. Or in front of four royal people."

"Technically, you only have to worry about offending _two_, remember?" Malin asked. "We don't have the legal right to hold….inappropriate stories against you."

"Yeah! As long as they're servants, you actually outrank _them_!" Anna jumped in. "It's every boyfriend's dream come true!"

"Other than keeping them from being homeless. I had to get that covered too," Kristoff reminded her back. "Speaking of which. Now that the month's almost up, are they….still gonna be homeless without me?"

"Would that be a problem?" Gaspar tested.

"No! No, those words never left my mouth!" Kristoff insisted. "Just a head's up this month around would be nice."

"We haven't decided on anything yet," Elsa interjected. "This is what happens when you don't plan things out ahead of time."

"Come on, I thought we were gonna keep talk like that off the dinner table," Anna objected.

"You said no work talk at the dinner table. This isn't about work," Elsa nitpicked.

"But they still work for us. So talking about how they're _not _gonna work for us soon is still work. Which is off the table," Anna came back.

"In a few days, we'll have to put it on whatever table we can find. Then where will we be?" Elsa asked. "Sometimes it's better to get hard, unpleasant tasks out of the way early."

"I don't know. Depends on how long it takes you. A few days, 13 years, that sort of math," Anna said extra comically, so Elsa knew the 13 years reference wasn't an angry one. "Besides, winging it has its place too. I didn't plan out saving your life, or marrying Hans, or all my 'goofy, irresponsible antics' I catch you laughing at! They turned out well….at some point!"

"I'd rather not risk our parents' future on a 'turning out well at some point' theory," Elsa replied.

"Theory? I used facts, and you know it! Now I get to correct _you_! Fact point to me!" Anna cheered.

"Fact point isn't a word. It's not even a phrase," Elsa corrected anyway.

"It wasn't until I said it! Before _you _said it wasn't! I'll give myself a _point fact_ for that too," Anna bragged.

"All right then. Let me know when Anna's food freezes," Kristoff got back to eating.

"What are you talking about?" Gaspar asked, while Anna and Elsa were oblivious to them.

"Oh, right. I've seen their debates more than you have, sorry," Kristoff realized. "Okay, first Elsa sighs in disbelief that Anna's actually winning," he said before Elsa did just that. "Next, she figures out a loophole that gets her right back ahead."

Gaspar and Malin missed Elsa's loophole thanks to Kristoff's words, but they saw Anna huffing nonetheless. "Then Anna will get frustrated, to the point where she mocks Elsa behind her back," Kristoff explained right as Anna tried to mimic Elsa's posture – although it was hardly as straight as hers. "Then Elsa will notice and whisper for her to show 'proper decorum' at a dinner table with guests."

"Kristoff's a guest, and he doesn't mind! Right?" Anna interrupted louder, to which Kristoff just smiled and nodded.

"Right, don't know why I forgot that part," Kristoff told the parents. "What else did I forget.…nope, that's it! And they'll be whisper arguing over table manners, until Elsa says if she's gonna do everything but eat, she might as well….there we go."

At that point, Elsa sent a little artic wind out, frosting Anna's food on the table. Her soup was frozen in a bowl with a spoon still in it – which Anna pulled out along with a whole block of frozen soup attached. "Hey, no powers at the table either!" Anna argued.

"We never agreed to that. Fact," Elsa smugly said, then turned to her other guests. "I'm sorry, everyone. I'm sure Anna will be sorry as well before bedtime."

Instead, Anna was holding the block of soup in front of her head, making funny faces while Elsa was talking – faces Kristoff, Gaspar and Malin could see through the soup block. Kristoff tried not to laugh, if only to keep Anna from being caught by Elsa, while Gaspar and Malin had no idea how to react.

"I assure you, nothing like this happens during official dinners," Elsa assured her parents. "When Anna has to act up like this, she gets it out of the way at lunch first. Isn't that right?" she turned and finally saw one of Anna's funny faces – which looked even funnier as seen and distorted on the soup, like an early version of a funhouse mirror.

"Anna! Stop making that face before it freezes like that!" Elsa said before she knew what she was saying. When it sunk in, she felt embarrassed for using such a….obvious line. And yet for some reason, she felt like putting her hand over her mouth to contain her laughter.

Anna saw a window of opportunity, as she turned to Elsa and prepared to make a funny face behind the soup block. But before she could, Elsa unfroze it and the soup spilled back into Anna's bowl. And with that, Elsa could let herself laugh.

Before too long, Anna couldn't help but laugh too. She never could help laughing when Elsa actually laughed and smiled without holding back. And like that, their little petty arguments washed away from this little bonding moment.

"Okay, the ending was new, I'll give them that," Kristoff said through littler chuckles.

"It's all new to us," Malin said, getting her daughter's attention. "We've been taking turns being with one of you all this time. But we haven't really gotten to see the two of you together. Enjoying yourselves together. Being sisters. Not for 13 years, and not much in this month either."

"We know you do that in the afternoons now. When you don't need us around," Gaspar added. "It's just….now we have a better idea of what we missed out on. What we made all of us miss out on."

"Thank you, I suppose," Elsa nodded and smiled, with her usual reserve back.

"Wait….you _haven't_ seen us have fun and be sisters together," Anna repeated. "You know what? I'll bet you two haven't had fun being married either."

"Anna, where are you going with this?" Elsa asked suspiciously.

"They haven't had time with the two of us together! So they haven't had time with the two of _them _together too! How could they, they've been too busy with us!" Anna said. "And they weren't even going out on the island! Well, why don't you go out now?"

Before Gaspar and Malin could answer, Anna kept getting carried away. "That's perfect! Elsa, you give them a night off before the Christmas ball! You can get away with that! Then they can go on a real date on Christmas Eve! And we can help them get ready! We can set up our own parents on a date!" she squealed.

"It sounds like you want to do most of the work," was all Elsa could say.

"Well….since it's your week with Mama, _you'd_ have to help her dress up, right? I mean, if we really can't switch!" Anna exclaimed. "I don't know enough to dress up Papa! And Kristoff's still a beginner at dressing up!"

"Yeah! If I could argue with that, I would, but sadly I can't!" Kristoff faked sadness well enough.

"Aren't we already each other's dates for the ball?" Malin questioned.

"That's a ball! You guys only dated at balls since you got married!" Anna figured. "Didn't you go out to regular old romantic dinners, before you became the King and Queen?" she asked with a gruffer version of her formal Elsa impersonation at the end.

"But you're not King and Queen now! You're free to have dinner and romance like regular people now! After all these years without dating at all, haven't you earned it?" Anna finished making her pitch.

After months of being unable to refuse Anna's little pitches, Elsa had to smile as her parents began crumbling too. "I suppose….it is overdue," Gaspar admitted.

"Elsa _could _let us get away with a night off on Christmas Eve," Malin agreed. "If we pick a secluded table, we might not have to play Maurice and Idina all night."

"I can find private establishments like that. Places where palace servants wouldn't be out of place," Elsa got swept up by another Anna idea.

"Places where palace servants wouldn't be out of….time? No, no, space? Okay, hold on! I can be the corrector here!" Anna insisted.

"Yes, I can see why you'd need a night off from that," Elsa told her parents.

"Then I suppose if the Queen approves," Gaspar told the current Queen, before going to the former one. "Does she?"

"I do," Malin answered.

"Yeah! I got my parents dating again!" Anna celebrated, then told Kristoff, "You got them a bed, I got them a date! Your move!"

"I think I'll let you keep bragging rights for now," Kristoff conceded to her, in keeping with the theme of this family dinner.

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The next day, Elsa wound up being the one to help Malin get ready for her date – before she realized how difficult it would be.

She couldn't just give Malin her old dresses from her closet to wear in public – no palace servant was supposed to wear something like that. Maybe Elsa could say it was a Christmas gift, but why would she give such a gift to a servant who'd been here for a month? Even Kai and Gerda might question that if they weren't in on it.

She could just find a regular old dress, but she didn't know how fancy or not it had to be to keep her in character. As someone who never had a reason to know the rules and nuances of dating – and who hadn't been forced to find suitors quite yet – Elsa wasn't sure of the right protocol.

She was just tempted to whip up an ice dress for her mother and be done with it. But that would raise way too many eyebrows – and would probably be too weird on a few levels. Besides, even if Elsa found the right, non suspicious beautiful dress for her mother, and Anna found a snappy but not too snappy suit for her father, it still might not be enough.

Even if she found the right private place for them to have dinner, there was no guarantee some old acquaintance, someone who heard the King and Queen talk once, or some random government official wouldn't drop by. Either way, they would likely have to be Maurice and Idina all night – and even Elsa knew they couldn't be romantic and play characters all at once.

No matter what, there was just no way that her parents could have dinner like normal people – even if they weren't officially King and Queen. It was bad enough they'd barely seen each other as themselves, without their disguises, since their first day of work. In so many ways, they couldn't just be themselves….

….not in public, anyway.

For once, it all looked so simple to Elsa now.

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The first break came when Anna was frustrated herself over helping Gaspar get ready. He was picky and paranoid enough to suck all the romance out of it, according to her. As such, when Elsa ran her idea past her, she jumped at the chance, in spite of how it differed from her original idea.

But Elsa still gave Anna credit for that idea. Her big hearted, thoughtful intentions opened the door, after all. It just took Elsa's sensible outlook, her own brand of thoughtfulness, and ability to see things Anna overlooked at first, to really make it shine. Funny how that combination worked.

With the two on the same page, they each told their respective parent they had an outfit picked out themselves. They just had to come to the cottage right after sunset, put it on and then head on their way. Once they were satisfied and carried on with their duties, their daughters made all the other arrangements they would need.

When the time came, Elsa and Anna each led their parents to the cottage. Kristoff wasn't there, so they would be all alone.

Once they got in, Gaspar and Malin saw they were also all alone with their outfits. Their very familiar outfits.

"I'm sorry, Mama and Papa. I had it all wrong," Anna admitted. "Elsa figured that out before me, as usual."

"Is that why my old official clothes are over there?" Gaspar asked. "Along with your mother's? You know we can't wear those."

"Not out there," Elsa started. "I know some of us built your hopes up for a romantic night out. But you don't need to go out to make it romantic. You can even make _this place _romantic. All you need is to be something you haven't been in over three years. Yourselves."

"I'm sorry, how would that work?" Malin wondered. In response, Elsa went over and removed her wig, and some of her old facial makeup, before her mother could take it in.

"Papa? When's the last time you really saw your wife?" Elsa went on, right as Anna started taking off Gaspar's own disguise pieces. "And when's the last time you were really yourself?"

"What….what's the answer supposed to prove?" Gaspar requested.

"Even when you've just talked to us, and to each other, you've been dressed as Maurice and Idina! You even kept playing them on the island when you got your memories back!" Elsa recalled. "You're almost as good at hiding yourselves for the greater good as I was! Even from the most important people you know."

"The most important thing about the new Arendelle, and the new royal family, is that we don't do that anymore," Anna stated. "Not forever, anyway. So tonight, you're gonna drop the act. If only in here for a night."

"You're going to dress up as the real you," Elsa ordered. "By the time you're finished, Kai and Gerda should be here with your food. Then me, Anna and Kristoff will go out for a pre-Christmas dinner of our own. We'll be gone as long as you need us to be gone."

"Can you keep up with them?" Malin asked Gaspar.

"Have we ever been able to? In the best of times?" Gaspar replied truthfully. "Giving in used to work." Once he saw that Malin's face was unblemished again, he remarked, "I do like how it's going so far."

"Yes! You'll like it even more when you get dressed! At least that's how Elsa sold it," Anna said. "It's really hard to say no when she pitches something, huh?"

"Despite how the council tries sometimes," Elsa found herself actually joking. The prospect of this crazy plan working must have gotten her carried away. Is that how Anna felt during her crazy schemes - even when they managed to work?

In any case, she'd have a better idea once they went up to separate rooms and completed their re-transformation.

A few minutes after they went upstairs, Kai and Gerda came in to make their secret dinner delivery, for the second straight night. They helped Elsa and Anna – mainly Elsa – spruce up the dinner table and make it look just right.

Right up until their guests came out.

When they did, Anna and Elsa suddenly knew what it was like to travel through time.

What's more, it ran in the family.

Gaspar saw Malin in her old Queen outfit, with her regular face and hair, and it was like he was relieving years at a time all at once. The good years, when she looked like this and could smile at the same time.

Malin saw Gaspar look like the King of Arendelle again – if she mentally edited out his longer beard - and it was like she was seeing him for the first time. Like she did when she saw him dressed like this on their wedding day. He was already a King well before she married into the family, but it really sunk in for her on that day – just as it was doing again on this day.

Anna saw their parents look like…..their parents again – even with Papa's beard - and it was like it was three-and-a-half years ago. When she hugged them for the last time with nothing but love between them – when she was so ignorant of everything else about them. And Elsa, and herself as well.

But now that she saw them like this again, fully enlightened to who they really were and….healing from it, she felt like she was getting a do over. A much better, more honest, but almost as warm and bubbly do over.

Of course, that was multiplied by a hundred times for Elsa.

She watched her regal, royal parents come down arm in arm, and she felt….too shy to go near them. Like she was the last time she saw them dressed like this, except….not. This time she didn't have to be afraid. She was just overwhelmed.

Despite their servant routine and their reluctance to be rulers again….this was who they really were. The fact that Elsa was encouraging them to be their real, honest selves in front of people – if only them – felt….very refreshing.

And maybe a few other things that….weren't worth going into. However, that wasn't why this was truly overwhelming.

For the last 10 years when they looked like this, Elsa felt fear, shame and an impossible need to be perfect for them. Perfect for a King and Queen that looked and acted perfect, yet were cursed with having the most imperfect, dangerous, destructive daughter imaginable.

How such a cursed girl could have such perfect parents, who didn't deserve such a deadly mistake like her, escaped her. It helped keep her in that room, away from their perfect image, and away from the possibility of destroying it even more.

But it wasn't like that now. She could approach her parents, even when they looked like this. She could do what she never had the courage to do for 10 years when they were like this. What she failed to do on their last day like this.

She hugged them good bye.

"You have to go. To the table," Elsa qualified late. "Your food might get cold." Once she shook off her remaining emotions, she stepped back to give her parents room. It also gave Kai and Gerda room for flashbacks of their own.

"Oh my….I, I hope the food is to….Your Majesty's liking. And Your Highness's too," Gerda got out.

"It looks perfect, Gerda," Malin assured. "Thank you both for this. I know we haven't made these last two nights easy for you."

"They were far easier than the nights without you, Your Highness," Kai said. "I'm sure we all agree," he finished quite correctly, if Anna and Elsa could have made themselves say so.

"All right. Now you two behave yourselves," Anna wrapped up. "Don't do anything we….haven't done." She then got Elsa, Kai and Gerda out to leave their parents alone – before they thought anything more about her warning.

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Gaspar and Malin ate dinner in silence, which was common when Anna wasn't around – and on those rare nights when Elsa had to be – back in the day. However, this didn't feel like back then.

"What is it?" Malin asked suddenly. Gaspar supposed that although he was quiet, he was reflecting on things pretty loudly – enough for it to be clear on his face. He supposed he should explain it to Malin in words next.

"I'm trying to remember if we ever had a night like this," Gaspar explained. "Secrets and lies weighted down our last 10 years of dinners here. We were distracted by business and the kids in the eight years before that. We had the pressures of courtship in our first dinners together, then we were planning the wedding, and then you got pregnant in no time."

"And the thesis of your history lesson is?" Malin asked.

"I can't remember the last time we had dinner as just….you and me. Not just because of the disguises and the amnesia," Gaspar qualified. "Just us, without anything to worry about, without a kingdom or children or duty in the way. That might be normal for a royal marriage. But since when has normal been a part of _our_ lives?"

"Almost never. I suppose that's your point," Malin figured out.

"Being at peace, having a united family, having time to enjoy ourselves together….that hasn't been _our _version of normal for some time," Gaspar reflected. "I know a lot of that is my fault."

"Don't you take that responsibility. I was there every step of the way, remember?" Malin noted. "Whatever decisions we made, good or bad, we did them together."

"I know you couldn't have been as committed to the bad decisions as I was," Gaspar said.

"If that was true, I would have told you to stop. I would have spoken up and said we had to find another way. You know I could have if I wanted to, and I would have made you listen," Malin semi-bragged, to which Gaspar had to laugh fondly, knowing his wife's will all too well.

"But I was as scared and lost as you. And I know you hated what we did as much as me," Malin shared. "It's just that if we admitted it to each other and ourselves….we couldn't have kept doing a lot of things."

"Like living with ourselves," Gaspar figured.

"But we did. Together," Malin pointed out. "Most people like us probably wouldn't have. We may have done terrible, misguided things. But although we lost Elsa and tainted things with Anna…I never felt lost and tainted with you. I don't think I could have gotten through it if I did. I'd like to think you couldn't ether."

"You like to think true things," Gaspar praised. "So we willingly dragged each other down together, and it was a good thing?"

"Not everyone gets lucky enough to survive an abyss with their favorite person. We know that too well," Malin reminded. "But now I'm lucky enough to start coming out of it with him too. I'd like to think you feel the same."

"They're coming out of it together now. Even after all that time apart. And we still had each other….so I guess we really have no excuse. Less than usual," Gaspar reasoned.

"I'd like to think our days of making excuses are over," Malin hoped. Gaspar had no answer for that, but they hoped they didn't need one.

"So….I was really a pillar of strength to you back then?" Gaspar asked honestly. "I can't imagine how I pulled that off."

"You were going through every emotion I was. That alone was enough. It showed me I wasn't alone. I really needed that in the darker days," Malin shared.

"I did too," Gaspar admitted. "So I suppose that means you're nervous about tomorrow as well. Being part of an actual royal ball...even if we're not hosting it, it's still been a long time for us. They're more used to it now than we are."

"Well, we've already got the eating part figured out," Malin said. "We're getting better at talking as well. Even with people outside the family. And those who might join it someday." Before Gaspar put those Kristoff-shaped pieces together, Malin finished, "That leaves dancing as the only major part left."

"Too bad there's no music in this restaurant," Gaspar semi-joked.

"I don't know. Maybe we're not ready for that step yet," Malin replied. "But….we could start with the basics and work our way up."

On that note, even without notes playing, Malin got up from the table and approached her still sitting husband, before holding her hand out. "May I have this non musical dance?" she requested.

Gaspar chuckled at her boldness, as he slowly became infected by it. When it took full form, he took his wife's hand and answered, "As always, the honor is mine."

It would have been cliché to say that when they danced, they heard the music of royal balls past in their heads, in spite of how quiet it was in reality. It would have been cliché to say that they closed their eyes and imagined being back in the happier, simpler times of their youth.

So none of them said it out loud.

What Gaspar finally did say out loud was, "I know we gave each other strength and comfort. And made sure we weren't alone. But….we stopped giving each other other things too. Things like….this."

"It seems like we're not that out of practice, though," Malin focused on, her hands gripping his hand and shoulder tighter. "This family has a habit of getting good at things they haven't done for a long time."

"Or just starting to get good at them," Gaspar added. "We're close to being decent, real parents again. Maybe we can relearn husband and wife stuff next. The best parts we haven't used in a while, anyway."

Before they got too swept away by that possibility, Gaspar saw harsh reality coming back. "But how can we do that after this week? We won't have time anymore if they know who we really are. And we can't keep pretending to be other people. Nights like this make it look foolish."

Yet he resigned himself to say, "Still….what do we know about being ourselves like this? How are we supposed to get it right outside of this cabin? As much as we might like to?"

Malin thought it over and settled on, "We're going to spend Christmas with our daughters. At a ball they're hosting for the entire town. Together. How did _that _happen? If that's possible, then I imagine anything is. Especially when we're not getting in anyone's way. Not even ourselves?"

Phrasing that as a question gave Gaspar the kind of pause Malin was going for. He then gave roughly the kind of answer she was going for. "Maybe even that's possible too."

In spite of how new everything was to them – or was new simply by being unused for a while – this was technically their usual routine. Instead of buckling down to find real, concrete solutions that would work for everyone's benefit, they put it off and settled on the first easy answer that didn't solve anything. As much as they told themselves it would.

This time had to be different. This time no one was being locked up. This time their daughters were having fun together, and so were they. This time they were sealing their united front with a kiss and a dance.

Things were different now. They were different. Everything else was starting to fall into line too. After nights like this, it would be cruel to go backwards now. And after years of starving themselves of unvarnished, untainted love and emotion – with or without their memories – this didn't feel like the same old thing.

Why not just hold onto that for a while longer, now that they finally had the chance?

After all, it was practically Christmas time.


	17. Christmas Ball

Christmas Day is supposed to be a day off for people to celebrate and be together. For much of Arendelle, it was. At least the part of it that actually bought suits for the ball, as well as gifts for the Queen and Princess, before Christmas Day.

No one was that lucky at the castle. Not even the royal family.

Even with all of Elsa's planning ahead, all of Christmas morning and much of Christmas afternoon was spent fine tuning everything. Worse yet, thanks to Elsa, Anna and Kristoff's Christmas Eve night activities, they all got a late start in the morning.

To say nothing of their servants.

Once Gaspar and Malin woke up and remembered to put their disguises back on, their day was as busy as their daughters. Malin had to help the staff finish preparing food and refreshments for the entire town, on the off chance the whole town could get itself into the Great Hall tonight.

Gaspar had to make sure Anna didn't get in the way too much - although between him, Kristoff and even Olaf, there was only so much bouncing around they could keep an eye on. But since it was Anna's first Christmas with her whole family in 13 years, they couldn't fault her for being bouncier than usual.

Elsa had a slightly easier job keeping everyone else from bouncing off the walls, but not by much. Fortunately, making decorations was the easiest part – including a giant ice chandelier above the Great Hall. However, it took a while yesterday to find a big enough, real Christmas tree to cut down, carry into the Hall and set down. They were still cleaning up the mess from that process today.

There was no time for Elsa and Anna's usual afternoon time, or much more bonding time with their parents. But tonight, and the special meaning it carried – both publicly and secretly – would make it up to everyone.

Once Elsa made completely sure no one would step on any pine needles in the Hall. Sometimes not being lazy really was more trouble than it was worth. Not that Anna could ever know.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Just after sunset, the Great Hall was ready to open. The most influential citizens of Arendelle, and minor to middle government officials, got to go in and admire the decorations, tree, chandelier, buffet table and other Christmas pageantry first. After about 15 minutes, the rest of the citizenry waiting outside was slowly allowed in as well.

Kristoff helped lead them in, as his newfound royal connection and his common heritage made him an ideal blend between worlds. He was at least more ideal than he would have been three or four months ago, anyway. Olaf was there to greet and hug the younger guests, and once everyone had a taste from the buffet, they were back in the Christmas spirit despite all their waiting and shopping today.

Everyone in town couldn't fit into the ball room at once, but those who were still waiting to get in would eventually get their turn. Those who had to leave to make room would tour the castle until they could come back, with Kai and Gerda taking turns leading those groups.

As for Gaspar and Malin, they were secure in the Great Hall, observing the people and making sure they were well behaved. That went double for Kristoff and Olaf, but Kristoff hadn't touched his nose all night – as far as they could see – and Olaf was being a perfect snow gentleman. Sven was even staying in the halls as instructed, so hopefully the waiting kids weren't too rough on him.

Finally, the waiting game ended regarding the hosts.

The major government officials, including Prime Minister Van Garrett, were introduced first as a warm up. Then came the introduction for Anna, who as instructed, got her skipping out of the way early and merely walked into the room.

Nevertheless, when Gaspar and Malin saw her in her green and real tealed dress, bun and snowflake shaped necklace, their hearts practically skipped a beat.

That was a mere mild exercise compared to what came next.

Once Queen Elsa's name was called out, the doors opened – but no one came out. Instead, a gust of wind flew out and actually flew up, until it got above the tree and gently rained snowflakes down on it. As everyone focused on that, only Gaspar and Malin kept watching the doors.

They were the first to see Elsa emerge in her ice dress, which had a few new accessories. Like a cape that seemed to be made up of ice crystals, a necklace with snowmen on it, and a replica of her old tiara. Everyone else eventually caught up and applauded – which Gasper and Malin couldn't even do with their head start.

Clapping seemed so inadequate by then.

"Welcome, and a merry Christmas to everyone in Arendelle," Elsa spoke anyway, as Anna joined her side and tried not to gawk too much at the necklace she'd given her. "This is an historic night in many ways, for all of us. I hope we've done all we can to make it worth the wait. As our honored guests, each and every one of you deserves nothing less."

After the next round of applause died down, Elsa had the snow flurry over the tree die down as well. "And now, to get the Christmas and dancing spirits up, here to serenade us is Arendelle's very best children's choir. May they make your hearts feel as warm as those of your honored hosts."

One more burst of applause greeted the royals, and the group of children who entered and stood in front of the tree. The choir began to sing their first of many Christmas favorites, as the audience resumed talking amongst themselves or got in line to greet Elsa and Anna.

As servants, Gaspar and Malin could only observe, and not abandon their jobs to fawn over their bosses. The need to stay in character just a little while longer was the only thing holding them back right now.

What they could do was watch their daughters and the setting they created – and listen to the young voices serenading over it all – and admire to their heart's content.

"Have you ever seen anything like this?" they heard someone say near them.

"Never," Malin answered quietly, until she actually noticed Van Garrett standing nearby. She talked louder, older and back in character when saying "Never!" the next time.

"I suppose there's little need for Christmas balls on an island. At least like this one," Van Garrett carried on.

"No," Gaspar said as Maurice. "I mean, there were balls. But not with this much….ceremony."

"I only saw royal balls here when I was an aide," Van Garrett recounted. "They stopped right after I was elected to government. Aside from the coronation, I've never seen an event like this while I was in any office. It reminds me why I wanted to be in one back then."

"I imagine this would be very nostalgic for anyone. At least for those who could be," Malin qualified.

"I suppose I have to hand it to her," Van Garrett said as they all looked at Elsa. "She's a long way removed from her last ball. Now there she is. Letting all of Arendelle show their gratitude for it."

Gaspar and Malin thought that could have been expressed a little better. Nevertheless, Van Garrett went off to do his own meeting and greeting, and his idols promptly went back to admiring everything else.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Time marched on as the rich and common guests ate, admired the hall and danced to the sounds of children's classical singing. Elsa and Anna had done their duty in greeting Arendelle's most powerful, and mingling with the commoners, without any major incidents. As such, they could step back and do some admiring of their own.

"This is so great! I don't need to wish it could be like this every day. My heart would burst after about five of them!" Anna cheered. "Once every Christmas should be about enough."

"You say that now," Elsa noted. "We haven't even gotten to your present yet."

"Huh?" Anna asked. "Oh come on, that's not….I mean, you don't have to just because I picked a great necklace. You being here and all of them being here is enough for me."

"I know it is. That's why it was the first half of your gift. Here's the second," Elsa signaled, until Kristoff finally came to get a moment with Anna. "Go on, like we rehearsed."

"You what now?" Anna got confused – even more so when Kristoff did his best version of a bow. Which still made him look like he would fall over at any moment, but it was better than his previous attempts.

"Milady, may I have this dance?" Kristoff requested, slightly less exaggerated than Anna was with her mock royal voice.

"Go on. I want to see if teaching him to ice skate is the same as teaching him how to dance here," Elsa revealed.

"You did? And he's…." Anna stuttered.

"You're at an open ball with your sister, like you always wanted. Dancing the night away with your….ice harvester charming should complete the dream," Elsa figured. "Besides, you actually know how to dance. This is your chance to prove you're a better teacher than me. And what kind of little sister would you be if you _didn't _try to upstage me?"

"Oh, you'd like that, huh?" Anna took the bait, leading a half grateful, half worried Kristoff to the open dance floor. At that point, the children's choir was helpful enough to start their next song then and there.

_Distant star, at home up in the heavens_

_Wonder what they see….are they watching me?_

_Christmas Star, you spin your strands of silver_

_What a sight to see….are you there to guide me?_

_Star light, star bright!_

_See me through the dark night!_

_Light my pathway_

_Guide me home for Christmas day_

Even with Elsa's various pre-noon tips for Kristoff, he was still being led around by Anna - much like Elsa led her around while skating at the courtyard. She only appreciated the irony for a moment before Olaf came by.

"Can we dance now too?" Olaf asked eagerly, holding out his hands.

"Oh! Olaf, I…." Elsa tried to phrase it delicately. "I know how to skate, but I don't dance. So you probably can't either."

"That's okay! Anna can dance, but she can't skate! So we're even!" Olaf figured. He may have been created from Elsa, but his goofy logic – and how Elsa couldn't argue with it for long – was pure Anna. So as per the norm, Elsa gave in and just swayed with Olaf for a bit instead.

In the meantime, Gaspar and Malin felt it safe to go out on the dance floor, doing just fine with music. Anna noticed this in between Kristoff barely avoiding her toes.

_Midnight stars, they sail the sky in silence_

_Hearing all they see….are they hearing me?_

_Christmas Star, you watch the world so wisely_

_At my journey's end….will you be my true friend?_

By then, Anna had let Kristoff off the hook with a kiss, and came over to get her parents attention. "May I cut in?" she asked directly to Gaspar.

"But…." Gaspar wanted to object, since a Princess dancing with a servant in front of everyone would have to raise eyebrows. However, Anna didn't even let him say no, let alone take it for an answer, and took her mother's place in her father's arms.

_Star light, star bright!_

_See me through the dark night!_

_Light my pathway_

_Guide me home for Christmas day_

Elsa had to go back and forth between watching Anna and her father dance, and watching out for Kristoff's toes as they tried dancing off the ice. Meanwhile, Malin let Olaf dance around her and took one of his arms to try and twirl him.

The chorus hummed and chanted a series of "Ahhhs" as their song reached a crescendo. By then, Gaspar was ready to save Elsa from Kristoff, leaving Anna to get close to Malin. Kristoff and Olaf went to the sidelines as two parent/daughter duos had the dance floor to themselves.

To everyone else, the royal family was dancing with servants. But they'd make up cover stories for it later. For this moment, Anna and Elsa wanted to twirl around the Great Hall with their parents again, like they were five and eight once more.

_Christmas Star light_

_See me on my way_

_Light mine, half way;_

_Guide me home for Christmas….day_

With the singing finished, the royal family barely heard the clapping over their own heartbeats.

Nobody else in the crowd heard the strange sounds coming from above them.

Kristoff only saw the source when it was just about too late.

"Look out!" he called without getting more specific. Yet he still broke everyone's concentration.

Everyone's, except the archers that had gotten into the Great Hall – and were about to finish shooting the chandelier down.

When the final arrow connected with the final rope connecting the chandelier, it began its descent down towards the ground – and the people below. Most of them panicked enough to run away in time, including the royal family. But not everyone had.

Elsa turned around and aimed her magic at the chandelier, willing it to dissolve in time. In her panic, she dissolved it into water instead of evaporating it completely. The people in the crossfire weren't crushed, but they were drenched – and some water even got on the royal family as well.

Nevertheless, everyone both wet and dry was running for cover, as more of these attackers could now be seen. And their assault wasn't finished.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Van Garrett demanded to know. The response he got was a punch to the face.

"Get everyone out of here!" Elsa ordered, ignoring how she needed to get out as well. However, the archers next shot their arrows at the buffet and the decorations, not any more of the people.

Guards rushed in and tried to get everyone out of the ball room, while starting their attempts to subdue the party crashers. They got some of them at first, but many others were still roaming around.

"Anna, get them out of here!" Elsa ordered to Anna, gesturing to their family and Kristoff.

"Not without you!" Anna resisted. Before Elsa could argue, they noticed that the archers now had lit matches – and were lighting their next arrows on fire.

"Go, now!" Elsa demanded of Anna. But no one moved as the archers took aim. Yet their target wasn't the royal family – it was the tree.

Right before the guards found room to seize them, they fired their firey arrows and lit up the tree. Elsa acted quickly and froze the tree right on the spot, then tried to push Anna and her parents to safety herself.

Yet none of them noticed that another group of heavy set attackers had been hiding behind the tree. Not until they started to push on the now icy piece of bark.

Gaspar and Malin broke away, getting everyone near the tree out of the way. But this put them in the crossfire as the tree began to topple on down.

"Maurice! Idina!" they heard vaguely. However, they clearly felt it when Van Garrett came over, grabbed their wrists, and helped them run and dive away when the tree of ice crashed onto the floor.

Once a shocked Elsa registered that they were okay, she was able to evaporate the shattered ice this time. Gaspar and Malin caught their breath as Anna and Van Garrett helped them up.

"Thank you, Tomas," Gaspar gasped out – forgetting to call him by his formal title, and forgetting to use much of his Maurice voice. Nevertheless, there was too much chaos for Van Garrett to tell the difference.

The chaos stood to get worse when Sven finally charged his way into the Hall. Instead, Kristoff jumped on him and rode him onward to chase the remaining attackers. They cornered the ones who toppled the tree fairly quickly, right as the rest of the guards finally blocked Elsa and Anna away from the rest.

The Great Hall was now mostly clear, with the attackers either captured or on the run. One of them got to the nearest window and started breaking it, as those who were still free rushed to join him.

"The Southern Isles sends its regards!" the leader proclaimed before he and a few others jumped through the open window - stunning the Queen and Princess once more.

Fortunately, Elsa snapped out of it enough to freeze the opening, before anyone else could get out from there. With that, most of the rest were rounded up, while the others tried to make their escape by running out of the ballroom.

But by and large, the action was done – as was the damage. No one was killed, and no one was seriously hurt, yet the party had come to an ugly end. And the statements had already been made.

At long last, the guards were able to lead Anna and Elsa out of the Great Hall, in case there was a follow up attack. Van Garrett also had a group of guards take him away, yet there were only a few spares left to oversee Kristoff, Sven, Gaspar and Malin's evacuation.

The Great Hall was sealed off while the guards chased and took the attackers away, and got the Queen, Princess and Prime Minister to chambers. Since they were still just servants, the former King and Queen weren't forced in with them, as it was left to Kai and Gerda to get them away and try to recover.

It would take more than that to jump start their recovery process, though.

In one moment, their family and their lives were practically perfect. In the next, it almost came apart, even though it didn't. But if a threat like this existed, it could threaten them again.

Threaten everything they'd almost gotten back.

From paradise to crisis in a matter of moments. It was unlike nothing they'd faced since….

Since the last time the royal family was all together in that room.

The same sudden, shattering turn of events. The same near miss, if only in principle. And yet the same fear.

**The song "Christmas Star" was borrowed not from Frozen or Disney, but from 'Home Alone' and John Williams.**


	18. Anger and Fear

There were a lot of loud voices ringing out in council chambers. However, the three quietest voices were the three most powerful people there.

Queen Elsa knew she should speak, but the shock and awe of tonight's turn of events left her speechless. Having her greatest moment with her family in 13 years destroyed by assassins – who nearly crushed her parents with her own icy tree – was not something she wanted to speak about right away. If ever.

Princess Anna was just overwhelmed to be in these chambers, having never attended these meetings before. This was hardly a good first one to break her in with. Then again, no words they said could drown out the two that invader said – the Southern Isles words.

Couldn't they leave _one _ball alone? Especially ones where she was having fun with long lost family members again?

Prime Minister Van Garrett was nursing that punch in the face with ice – not even bothering to ask Elsa for some. He held his tongue, waiting for the others to get the initial hysteria out of the way.

Then he heard the words "This is an act of war!" and decided that was hysterical enough.

Although Elsa or even Anna should have brought the meeting back to order, Van Garrett stepped in with the absence of royalty. A role he wasn't exactly unfamiliar with.

"No!" he started his objection. "This was a terrible attack. But I want no talk of war against the Southern Isles! They attacked the ball and our decorations more than our people. I will not send our people to die in battle just to make up for it!"

Some council members grumbled, in approval and disapproval alike, as Elsa paid more attention.

"They claim they're from the Southern Isles, but we have no outside proof yet," Van Garrett kept explaining. "We don't know if it was sanctioned by their royalty, or by their imprisoned prince. Or from some other faction starving for war, there _or _here! There are too many unanswered questions, and this is _not _the time to answer them with military action! Not with approval from the Prime Minister."

This was the first semi-reasonable thing Elsa could cling to, which helped her find her voice again. "I concur with the Prime Minister. We need actual intelligence before we do anything. And war will always remain a _last _resort in this kingdom."

With the Prime Minister and Queen now opposing war talk, there was nothing the rest of the council was foolish enough to say.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Van Garrett approved, deciding now was the time to bring up better ideas. "However, there _are_ reasonable steps we need to take. After tonight, I don't think we have a choice anymore."

"What do you mean by anymore?" Elsa requested.

"Tonight we saw the consequences of an open door policy," Van Garrett answered. "Our own security was lacking, yes. But with so many people coming and going, in such an unprecedented gathering, we should have known this could happen. Yet we all got too swept away to see it. We've been too swept away by many things lately."

Elsa began to frown as she saw where Van Garrett was going. He didn't disappoint – or rather, he disappointed by proving her right.

"We opened the gates, and the enemy came at our door! We enjoyed magic, and it was used against us in nearly deadly fashion tonight!" Van Garrett accused.

"Hold on one second!" Anna sprang up. "You don't mean _Elsa's _magic, right?"

"It was a _magic_ chandelier that nearly crushed dozens of people," Van Garrett reminded everyone. "And they knew that tree would get turned to ice after they set it on fire! They were planning on it! And because of that, two of your own servants were almost killed!"

It wasn't just two of their own servants – it was their parents. The fact Van Garrett was the man who saved them was the only thing keeping Anna restrained right now – by her standards.

Yet Elsa was perfectly still and seemingly unaffected. However, by her standards, she hardly looked that still and calm. Nevertheless, Van Garrett went on.

"It is as I feared all along. Opening the gates and using magic with this much….recklessness only makes us vulnerable. We all almost paid the price for it tonight. We certainly paid for it seven months ago!" Van Garrett argued. "If the Southern Isles is working against us, they'll use the fear of magic to gain allies, and then we _will _be in a war! Or worse!"

"Fear of _magic_? You mean fear of _Elsa_," Anna got bolder in her growing anger.

"Fear of Arendelle," Van Garrett qualified. "That's not an Arendelle any of us want to live in. But we can still take steps to stop it." Getting to the point, he proposed, "I recommend that until this crisis passes, we close the gates. And that we cease all public displays of magic. It will secure our borders and cut off all enemy propaganda in its tracks."

"And cut off Elsa! You want her all concealed again!" Anna objected, then turned to a still silent Elsa. "Elsa, you promised! We're never closing the gates again! And you're never hiding your magic again! Remember?"

"Princess Anna, you've had your sister back for seven months," Van Garrett answered instead. "She must have proved herself to be a better big sister by now. Now she needs to be a Queen! And appeasing your insecurities shouldn't take precedent over the safety and stability of Arendelle! It's time to go back to what works!"

Anna really needed Elsa to step in now, or else she was bound to step on something of Van Garrett's.

Rising to her feet and standing straight up with an icy frown was just enough.

"If you want to continue this argument….nothing of my sister's, insecurities or otherwise, will be part of it," Elsa ordered. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes….of course, Your Highness," Van Garrett back tracked. "We all want the safety of Arendelle. Closing the gates and your magic kept us safe for 13 years. You knew that better than anyone. Don't let….outside influences distract you from what you know is right. And secure for everyone."

"Oh come on! Elsa –" Anna started arguing, before Elsa put her hand up.

There was no doubt about the truth in Van Garrett's words. At least a select few of them. For all else that the isolation did, it kept Arendelle and all those in her safe for 13 years. Abandoning that policy had now caused two major threats in seven months.

Logically, there was no question what Elsa should do. As a Queen, she could do nothing less. Every instinct and desire she had for 13 years told her the same thing.

The problem was….she knew what else they could say. And make her do.

"No," Elsa decided. "Once I start concealing, I won't be able to stop. I know that much. I can't put myself and others through that risk. In the long term, it won't be better for anyone."

Steeling herself, with a glint of Anna's smile in the corner of her eyes, she ordered, "We will tighten security around the castle and the town. There will be no balls, with or without magic, until the crisis passes. But the gates and my powers will not be closed off again."

"Your Highness, be reasonable!" Van Garrett insisted. "Hasn't your parents legacy been…." On that, he managed to stop himself. It wasn't fast enough, however.

"Been what? Ruined enough? Is that it?!" Anna got riled up enough to step on things again.

"_Wherever _you're going with this…." Elsa started meaningfully, then tried to give him an out. For everyone's best interest. "Is this still an argument you want to make? Especially in front of everyone?"

Van Garrett looked at the icy Queen, the icier than usual Princess, and the skeptical council. Yet he still made this decision anyway.

"If I had made this argument earlier, perhaps tonight wouldn't have happened. But it did. Perhaps the time for holding back is over," Van Garrett predicted.

"So _you _don't have to hold back, but _Elsa _does?" Anna pointed out.

"Anna, let me handle this from here," Elsa requested with considerable calm.

"Come on, I can finish him! Then you don't have to!" Anna promised.

"It's all right. Go on and speak freely, Princess," Van Garrett offered, making Elsa dread that Anna was headed for some kind of trap. Yet if that came to mind, it didn't stop her.

"You know, I know a few things about you," Anna told the Prime Minister. "Like how you always stood up for my parents, even when people thought they made mistakes. Even when people in this room though they did! So if you kept supporting everything _they_ did, no matter what it was….why can't you do that for their daughter?"

Elsa felt a brief surge of pride. She wondered that for several months, but as usual, Anna just went and said the things Elsa couldn't say. At least this was more well thought out than some of those other things.

"She is not _them. They_…." Van Garrett sputtered and fell behind on the argument. Yet he took a deep breath and resolved himself to go even deeper.

"There is a danger in Arendelle. And not just the one from tonight," Van Garrett set up. "There's this….revisionist history going around, about our old King and Queen. A history that your stories have lent support to. One that disrespects the honor and wisdom of their rule."

"Just some parts of it!" Anna spoke up again.

"The most important parts!" Van Garrett objected. "They protected us at great personal cost! They sacrificed all for our safety and security! They gave everything they had for our great land and people! _That _is their legacy! And to reframe it as something….shameful and misguided is….borderline treason!"

"But disrespecting your own Queen is still okay?" Anna challenged.

"She disrespected her own King and Queen first! Her own parents!" Van Garrett argued. "They were the greatest rulers this nation ever had! All they got in return was an ungrateful council, and a daughter that made them hide from the world!"

Still going too fast for anyone to stop, he went on in full blast, "But their sacrifice saved us! It kept us from 10 more Great Freezes! And we thought we could disrespect that sacrifice, and _them_, by letting her go against everything they stood for?! What they died for?!"

"You have no idea what you're saying," Elsa finally spoke, rather dangerously. "You're too emotional from tonight. Do not let it make you say things you can't take back."

"I will never take back defending them. They are the reason I'm here. They saved me, and I'm here, and they're _dead_," Van Garrett recounted. "They gave their lives and their livelihood to protect us from _you_. Yet you've set out to destroy the Arendelle they stood for and died for. And look what came from it tonight."

Anna was moments from leaping onto the table and taking a run at him – until she noticed something about the table. No one else did – especially not Van Garrett. "It's one thing to dishonor them! But does this council and everyone in Arendelle have to be collateral damage too?! Will you finally show your parents mercy _then_?"

Van Garrett slammed his hands on the council table with that closer – a split second before it froze into pure ice.

He had to take his hands off in pure panic, for fear they would freeze too. The rest of the council backed away and almost fell off their chairs. Anna was still on her feet, shaking with satisfaction and worry.

Elsa was the only still one, even as her hands gripped the table – at first to freeze it, and then to stop herself from making it shatter. Her hold on it slowly loosened, and the frost didn't spread to anywhere else – or anyone. Yet the air was thick, and not just with colder temperatures.

"The castle is secure," Elsa flatly said. "The attackers are gone or locked up. We won't know anything new until tomorrow. I believe it would be best for us to adjourn now."

"I believe you're right," Van Garrett finally agreed with her. Straightening himself up, he put his political façade back on enough to say, "Your Highness," and take his leave.

The rest of the council slowly and carefully filed out, while Elsa and Anna stayed still for different reasons. Naturally, Anna couldn't keep still for long, as she reached out to say, "Elsa…" but had no real follow up.

"I need a few moments," Elsa told her. Instead of objecting to her needing time alone, or cheering her for shutting Van Garrett up, or pepping her up by saying just how wrong he was, Anna sensed it might be wise to back off. To do what Van Garrett didn't.

Elsa stood up straight and made the table unfreeze – albeit with less visible love than usual – and left the chambers. For once, Anna wasn't ready to follow her, at least not right away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With the Great Hall safe and empty again, Elsa marched over there as straight as she could. Keeping a proper posture and outward demeanor now was better late than never. Leaving aside how part of her just didn't want to right now.

That was the part which boiled/froze over at Van Garrett and that table. The part that was so angry – and so relieved and ashamed to let that anger out. The part that felt betrayed and cheated from having her happiest night in 13 years become….that.

The part that heard Van Garrett's words minutes ago, and also heard her own similar words in her parents' room seven months ago. The words and beliefs she swore never to listen to again. Maybe some time alone would drown them out.

However, just as she felt more conflicted for thinking that failed strategy would work, she saw it didn't matter. The ball room wasn't unoccupied after all.

Gaspar and Malin had sought solitude in here as well. Yet they weren't alone anymore.

Neither was Elsa. And at this vulnerable moment, she was actually grateful. For once after a brutal moment – for the first time since that last ugly night in here - she could actually turn to her parents for comfort again.

Even the Southern Isles and an infuriatingly misguided Prime Minister couldn't take that away.

"Are you all right?" Elsa asked, feeling more centered. Enough to ignore the impulse to leap in their arms like Anna might.

"We're fine. What about you? What about Anna? Malin asked. "What did Tomas and the council say?"

"Nothing new," Elsa answered, which was technically true. Both regarding information and Tomas's little theories. Focusing on the information for now, Elsa stated, "We still need to verify they're telling the truth about….where they're from. And find the rest of them. Until then, there's little we can do."

"There's always something to do," Gaspar responded. "You can't just stand still. We stood still tonight when those flaming arrows aimed at us. We stood still when that tree came down."

"We won't stand still for this," Elsa promised. "We will make sure this doesn't happen again."

"And what happens when they find a new way in?" Gaspar asked. "They know just when to do it too. At the right moment when you think life is perfect again….they drop a chandelier and a tree on you. They almost make you lose what you finally just got back…."

Before this felt too much like troubling déjà vu, Elsa pointed out, "I don't think they came to kill us. Otherwise they would have shot us with those arrows. They probably just wanted to make a statement."

"This time," Gaspar figured. "We ignored the signs. We could have avoided so much trouble if we didn't. Made sure we wouldn't have to make such hard choices later. So much could have been stopped if we were more careful _then_."

"Mama?" Elsa addressed instead of Gaspar. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I…." Malin stumbled, then went over to Gaspar. "Are we sure?"

"We could have lost them. They could have lost us all over again. Right in front of them," Gaspar put out there. "After this month….that's even more unacceptable. We didn't come this far for that."

"No….no, we didn't," Malin accepted.

"We're going to be there this time. We're not losing them ever again," Gaspar promised. "But we need to do it together. I need your strength like I always have. So do they."

Gaspar offered his hand, which Malin went ahead and took. "Together," she vowed, even as Elsa felt more out of the loop.

"What's going on?" she wondered, if only to make them explain faster.

"Elsa….we made a mistake," Malin started. "We let ourselves get carried away by….the new Arendelle. Tonight, we could have lost everything because of it. We've all lost so much already. We can't make it easier to lose what we have left."

"I don't know what they're advising you to do," Gaspar continued. "If they want you to close the gates….we think you should listen."

"At least until the crisis ends," Malin softened up. "We know you can get it under control in no time. Then things can go back to normal. But a more….controlled normal would be wiser."

Elsa once again felt like she was eight years old in this room. This time around, she wasn't reliving happy memories of dancing. The first days of the isolation – and the false hope of control her parents were naïve enough to give her – flashed by instead.

She made herself brush those memories aside, trying to focus on anything else. What she settled on wasn't ideal, but it was good enough by comparison. "Did Van Garrett get to you?" she wanted to know.

"Get to us? We haven't seen him since he saved our lives," Gaspar shared. "Did you and Anna thank him?"

"Thank him…." Elsa repeated with disbelief. "That man is lucky to keep his job," she let get away.

"Elsa! You're talking about the Prime Minister of Arendelle," Gaspar reminded, without asking why she would say that about him. "He made sure the people still had faith in us. He kept the government in order before you took the throne. And he's the reason we're alive right now!"

"The man's a thief," Elsa answered. "At least he tried to be before you gave him a job. Just so he wouldn't see my powers. Anna told me that Mama told her the whole story."

Gaspar gave Malin a questioning look, and she could only answer, "I was out of things to talk about that first week."

"Like how our future Prime Minister tried to rob us," Elsa recalled. "And yet you showed _him _more mercy than your own daughter. _He _got a second chance from you."

Elsa wanted to pretend she didn't know where that came from. She could make herself look like she didn't, but it would only fool them. It was one of those…..things she convinced herself to bury deep down and never express. Those angry things she was wrong to keep feeling.

"That is not how it was!" Gaspar stated. "We had no choice! They might accept a Queen with powers now. But a baby princess with powers, 20 years ago? We couldn't be that naïve!"

"We contained a threat before it ever got started," Malin backed up. "We knew how to do that then. We forgot it over time, and then….it became too late to try anything but drastic measures."

"That's _not _why you used drastic measures…." Elsa tried to remind them.

"It's how we can avoid them again!" Gaspar promised. "We can do it better now! We can close the gates and keep us safe, but we can all be together! We can guard against the outside world, and still keep in touch with our allies! You can use your powers with Anna and your friends, but we can keep them down for everyone else! Then they'll have no reason to attack again!"

"We can do it right," Malin insisted. "Contain the threats _before _they get big enough to….require drastic action. Hide the smart way. They won't take you away from us again, and we won't have to send you away."

Gaspar and Malin looked so pleased with themselves, thinking they got it right this time. It couldn't hide the tinge of fear still in their eyes. The very familiar tinge of fear. The very infectious tinge.

Elsa couldn't look at it again. Not now. Not from them.

She wasn't supposed to see it on them again…..

"Your idea is to hide?" Elsa asked. "Close the gates and contain my magic. Again?"

"Not like before! Just enough to protect you and Anna!" Gaspar still claimed there was a difference. "You can handle that."

"No I can't," Elsa said. "I can't be moderately afraid. I wasn't _moderately _afraid for 13 years. Do you expect me to live in fear, just _a little_, without going overboard again?"

"You know what not to do," Gaspar believed anyway. "You can contain it, I know you can."

"Stop using that word, please!" Elsa let out. "All your words sound like…."

She almost said they sounded like Van Garrett. Then she almost said they sounded like _then_. Neither was something she wanted to say out loud. She didn't even want to think it, but that was impossible now.

"Elsa, we know you mean well. We got swept up in it ourselves," Malin assured. "But a life of completely open gates, and complete trust in people to accept…..who we are….it's not realistic. Not for us. Not for more than seven months. Or eight years. There's only so many times we can forget that and….avoid the unthinkable."

"No one gets that lucky so many times. We have to be out of second chances by now," Gaspar theorized.

"Lucky? You call any of it lucky?" Elsa questioned.

"You and Anna are still alive. It's time we found the right way to keep it that way," Malin said. "Extreme isolation didn't work, extreme freedom didn't work, so we need something in between."

"It sounds more like isolation," Elsa figured. "And I told you, I can't handle _any _isolation anymore. I promised Anna….I promised myself."

"Build a whole army of snowmen for her, then! At least you still can!" Gaspar expressed. "Keeping it that way is what's important! Now more than ever!"

The fear on his face wasn't just a tinge anymore. Neither was that on Malin. At that realization, Elsa couldn't look at them anymore. At the realizations after that, she could barely stand up straight.

"You're afraid….you're making _me _afraid," Elsa cringed. "I thought this time it'd be different. You were starting to make me think it _was_ different."

"We all thought it would be different. But it obviously can't. Not like you or even we might want it," Malin admitted. "We have to go with what works. Otherwise….no, it _can't_ happen again. Not now."

"I wanted to believe you," Elsa still went on. "I knew better, and I forgot…."

"We all did. Now we can make up for it," Gaspar said, about something completely different. That was the tragedy of this.

"I'm such a fool…." Elsa lamented anew.

"We won't be fools anymore. Not after tonight," Malin assured – once again talking about something completely different from Elsa.

They really weren't on the same page. One month of peace _wasn't_ enough to erase a decade of that. And yet she'd begun to think it had been.

It had been for _her_, anyway.

That was enough to make her say one word. A word she just used on Van Garrett – but one she hadn't used on them in 13 years. Maybe never.

"No."

Gaspar and Malin hadn't asked her a yes or no question – or any question. They never did then either. So Elsa made herself clearer. "No, I won't do it."

"What?" Gaspar didn't understand. "Elsa, there's no need for that. This isn't like before."

"Yes it is. If you don't understand why, even now…." Elsa went forward before her sadness turned to something else. "I'm the Queen. This is my decision, and I decided no."

"In lue of what? The same strategy that didn't work? That could have killed you or Anna?" Gaspar challenged. "That's not acceptable!"

"Papa, please…." Elsa attempted to start reasoning.

"No, _Elsa_, please! Please don't let us spend another night fearing the worst again! We spent 10 years living through that torture!" Gaspar reminded her. "We can't go back to that!"

"You think _you _went through torture…." Elsa wished she hadn't heard.

"It'll be worse than torture to lose you! Like it was for you when you lost Anna! What if we can't thaw any of you with true love?" Gaspar feared. "If this is about Anna, she's just going to have to accept it."

"You made her accept quite enough…." Elsa warned.

"She's alive, isn't she? If anything, we got _that _part right," Gaspar laid out. "She forgot that in all her rants. And that she _never_ froze in those 10 years we were here. We did what we were supposed to do as parents! We kept her safe! And we're going to do it again!"

"No….you're not doing it again," Elsa vowed. Malin noticed the side effect of her vow spreading on the floor.

"Gaspar…." Malin pointed down to the frost on the floor. Elsa didn't take her eyes off the fear on her face, until she saw it on Gaspar's. Yet his voice remained firm.

"Elsa, this is no time to have a relapse," Gaspar warned. "You need to stay calm."

"_Me _have a relapse?!" Elsa got less calm.

"Elsa, what do you think would happen if you did this in public?" Gaspar ignored her question. "The Southern Isles would have all the propaganda they needed! So would anyone else allied with them! Our own people would think you couldn't protect them, even from yourself!" After a pause, he wondered, "Is this what you did with Tomas?"

Elsa all but hissed as she turned around, desperate not to answer him. She just wanted this to be over. But it would never be over. It would never change….

"Gaspar…." Malin repeated, getting less carried away than her husband. But he was still carried away enough for them both.

"Elsa, you need to be in control. Especially in a crisis. Powers or not, it's the duty of every ruler," Gaspar reminded her. "We spent the first part of our lives here teaching you that. Don't let that go to waste now."

"You wasted my entire life…." Elsa answered shakily and quietly.

"Elsa, this is no time for words like that!" Gaspar objected.

"It never has been….and look where we are…." Elsa responded, her back still turned and the floor getting icier.

"Do I need to give you my gloves?" Gaspar dared to ask. "You lose control like this in public, and we're all dead! I'm not losing my wife and my daughters _again_ because of it! That's all that matters! So whatever else you're feeling….stop it! Conceal it! For all our sakes, stop being selfish!"

It took over a decade – maybe more. But those were the magic words that let her anger out.

"For _your _sakes! That's what you mean! Everything was for your sake! I was never scared until _you_ were! I never shut out people I loved until you showed me how! I never _feared _them until you showed me how! And because I can't live like that anymore, _I'm _selfish? Because you really _can't_ change, I have to change back?"

The ice on the floor spread enough so that Gaspar and Malin were standing on it. And it was still spreading. So was their fear – and the anger it inspired to finally come out.

"Is this what you were afraid of? Is this what gave you nightmares? Is this why you destroyed my life?!"

The ice was now spreading to the walls and even to the roof. Within moments, the entire Great Hall was becoming one giant ice box.

"Is this why I haven't had a mother and father for _13 years_?!"

The people that were her mother and father – by name, anyway – slipped and fell to the icy ground, cringing in more than just fear. The person that was still their daughter by name stood over them, looking every bit like the furious, deadly, out of control ice Queen they did everything to contain.

Well, not everything.

Her stance and her frown never changed. But when Gaspar looked down in lue of seeing her, he noticed something was changing.

For one thing, he could see the actual floor again.

Slowly but surely, the ice began fading away. When Gaspar and Malin were no longer lying on it, they got back on their feet and saw the rest of the Great Hall thawing. Elsa looked no less furious and wasn't moving a muscle - and yet the ice was going away like it never formed.

They didn't understand it. That was probably the whole point. It was reinforced when Malin shakily asked, "What happened?"

Elsa could only keep containing herself for one more monologue. She'd have to make it count.

"I felt love," she started. "Even _then_, I thought of the people who never helped me hate myself. Who never made me terrified. I thought of Anna, and Olaf, and Kristoff, and our people, and everyone who accepted me. I even thought of _you_. But for the life of me….after everything you did….everything I was weak enough to let you do….I have _no idea _why."

There was no actual frost in the room - none anyone could see. But Gaspar and Malin felt it so strongly anyway. And they were only now snapping out of it enough to see why.

"Here what I do know," Elsa said, still not out of it herself yet. "If you _ever _tell me to conceal _anything _again….you will _never _set foot in this castle again."

She turned around, unwilling to be disappointed, sad or angry by their reactions or words again. The anger rushed back as it all started to sink in, with frost trailing behind her while she walked to the other end of the room.

When she grabbed the doorknob, the door went and froze again. When she slammed it behind her, the door nearly cracked in two.

Gaspar and Malin were cracked in many more pieces than that. Especially when they saw exactly what they'd done.

Malin was the first to express it out loud, though.

"What did you do?" she asked quietly. "_What _did you do?" she asked more clearly and angrily to her husband. "What did you do?! What did you make _me_ do?!"

Now Gaspar was turning his back to her, but Malin wouldn't have it. At that moment, she thought she'd had it quite enough.

She hit and pushed her husband's shoulder, forgetting her every lesson as a Queen and wife. Since she was already a failure as a mother all over again, what did the rest matter?

Elsa wasn't the only one who couldn't contain 13 years of anger at Gaspar anymore.

"I lost my daughter tonight because of you! I lost 13 years with her because of you! You and those trolls! And you made me make the same mistakes all over again! That's what you did!" Malin yelled as she kept pushing him, although he wouldn't turn around.

"Look at me! You don't have courage for your daughter, and you took mine away! But you're going to look at me!" Malin screamed as the tears fell. "Look at me, damn you!"

"Please…." Gaspar whispered. "Just let me pretend….I haven't made someone _else _I love hate me. Just for a few more seconds…."

Instead, a slightly less enraged Malin went around him. When she got her look, the rest of her rage began fading, just like the ice from her daughter.

It wasn't fading from love, though. Not entirely. Seeing Gaspar's regret, shame and far too late epiphany at what he just let himself do – tonight and otherwise – was more profoundly sad than loving.

And yet it reflected exactly what Malin felt. What she thought he didn't feel just moments ago. But they shared the shame now – and the blame. Once again, Malin wasn't alone in all of this – and it didn't give her strength this time.

"We did it together," Malin admitted.

"What did we do?" Gaspar asked, although both of them knew the answer. "What did _I_ do…."

In spite of her outburst, Malin couldn't help but hug her broken husband. Once again, he was all she had left. Once Anna found out what they'd done, all they would have left was each other again.

All they had to blame for that was each other.

Yet they weren't alone. Not right now.

They hadn't been alone since when Gaspar said he lived through 10 years of torture. By then, the argument and emotions were so strong, none of them saw this other person sneak in and hide behind the toppled over buffet table.

None of them saw or heard this person shiver during the freeze. And neither Gaspar nor Malin saw this person shiver for other reasons now.

They stayed too lost in their grief and guilt to notice as he snuck away, and got out through the door that wasn't icy and cracked. When it closed, the former King and Queen were officially all alone.

On the other side of the door, so was Tomas Van Garrett.

He'd gone to the ball room for privacy and to try and calm down. With what he'd seen – and what he now knew - he might never be calm again.

"Your Majesty…." he whispered, making it feel improbably real. "Your Highness…."

He wasn't referring to Elsa in either case.

Not when the true King and Queen had somehow come home.


	19. Retreat

**A quick plug: One of my very own readers, reviewers and followers, Khmyh, made a fan video inspired by this very story and the royal family, with a few quotes from earlier chapters worked in. Go to YouTube and search for the video "Frozen – Elsa and Anna: Words I Never Said (Spoilers)" by KhmyhVKBII and listen along while reading.**

Elsa didn't know if anyone had seen her go through the halls, and out of the castle. She couldn't see anything beyond her own rage, sadness, guilt and anxiety – just like the old days.

The only other thing she could do was focus just enough to prevent another eternal winter. As she went outside, it looked like she had succeeded. Still, she did notice the frost behind her, which was enough to set off little flushes and wind gusts around her. Fortunately, it wasn't covering the rest of the town.

If only her parents could see that little bit of control. Like the last one made any difference. Like everything she'd ever done – at least the good things – made a difference to them.

Now the rage was back. The instinctive guilt and fear over being so angry came in short order. At that point, the anxiety returned and told her she had to go. Right now.

Once she realized how she had to do it, it took everything to fight off the sadness – and the flashbacks. It took enough out of her that she didn't see who she nearly ran into. When she did, she backed off before Kristoff could touch her.

"Stay back, please!" Elsa ordered - or more like begged. It was a tone Kristoff hadn't heard from her in seven months. Not since that terrible moment before the Great Thaw.

"Elsa? What happened?" Kristoff asked, his own desperation building. "Is it Anna?"

"No! No, not yet…." Elsa let slip out, now that she remembered what this – _all_ of it – would do to her. For the first time in seven months, thinking of Anna didn't make Elsa feel safe and loved. This made her mission more important than ever.

One that at least one person would need to know about. And since he was already here….

Elsa calmed the wind down to her bare minimum, as she got Kristoff to follow her towards his cottage. When they were all clear, she was as ready as possible to tell him, "Kristoff, I have to go."

"Go? Now?" Kristoff reacted. "Oh, you're going to the Southern Isles yourself? I guess we do owe a punch or two over there."

"No. No….I have to _go_," Elsa stressed. "I'm going to the mountain."

"Wait…._the _mountain?" Kristoff understood. "Does Anna know?"

"No. And you can't tell her. Not yet," Elsa made herself explain. "I know she'll come anyway. And I _promise_ I'll come back with her! Please tell her I'm going to come back! I just….I just need time up there to calm down first. Give me a few hours head start, _then _tell her. I _should _be okay by the time you come get me."

"Why do you need to calm down that much?" Kristoff wondered. "Is it your parents? Because they almost….went away again?

"It's because of them. But not because of _that_," Elsa said with some difficulty. "It's probably because of me too…."

"Elsa….are you all right?" Kristoff asked, although it was clear she wasn't. It was just getting really clear to him now, though. "Is this an….eternal winter kind of thing?"

"If I leave now, it won't be," Elsa said. "I know how this looks. I wish it didn't look this way. I wished so much that didn't come true," she lamented as the wind picked up. "Just please let me go. Let Anna have a few hours before she worries sick about me. Before she finds out they…."

She held back another storm of flurries and tears. "But tell her I _will _go back with her. At least I want to."

"Okay," was all Kristoff knew he could say. He still added, "If that's what you want, I might as well."

"I'm sorry I keep making you do things like this," Elsa said honestly.

"It runs in the family, I know. Otherwise Anna couldn't have gotten there the first time," Kristoff tried to say reassuringly.

"Keep her safe this time too," Elsa wished. "And give her this from me when you see her."

Elsa made herself stable enough to hug Kristoff – since she wouldn't be able to hug Anna good night. Unlike with Anna, Elsa had to stand on tiptoe and wrap her arms over his neck, so she could clutch her own hands together instead of touching him – just in case.

Before Kristoff could move himself, Elsa let go – then realized something else. "And….and this for tomorrow morning too," she explained before giving him Anna's hug for tomorrow morning. She had to clench her hands extra tight together to get through that one.

When she backed away for good, Elsa made herself stand up straight, if not a Queen like level of straight. She appeared relatively calm by the time she turned around and left, but they both knew it was fleeting now.

They both hoped it would hold by the time she got to the North Mountain anyway. But they had their doubts.

Kristoff stood around with those doubts for the next several minutes, even though he was all alone. The latter wasn't true for much longer.

"There you are!" Olaf called out. "Whatcha doing out here? Talking to imaginary people because the real ones are too sad right now?"

"No, I was…." Kristoff started, before inspiration struck out of nowhere. Probably in a more measured way than it did for Anna. But hopefully this had Anna's touch of pure dumb luck. "Olaf, you still know the way to the North Mountain, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Olaf echoed.

"Okay, I'll need to phrase this better," Kristoff thought ahead. "Elsa's going back to her ice palace. Why, I don't know. It has something to do with her parents, that's all I got."

"Meemaw and Peepaw?" Olaf asked. "Does that mean they're not going with us?"

"They're not going with you," Kristoff corrected. "Me and Anna can't follow Elsa for a few hours. But she didn't say anything about you."

"Why, what did I do?" Olaf got worried.

"Nothing. But here's what you can do now," Kristoff kept going along nicely, if he had time to say so himself. "I need you to go to the mountains too. Follow Elsa, but don't let her know you're there. Just…keep an eye on her and make sure she's all right before we get there."

"Can I keep _both_ eyes on her? It sounds serious enough that I'd need two," Olaf both misunderstood and understood quite clearly. It was scary how he did that sometimes. Maybe Elsa needed that kind of scariness, so she wouldn't be too scary when reinforcements arrived.

"Sounds reasonable," Kristoff said with fake nonchalance. "Just follow her and don't get caught. Not till you're both safe at the castle. If it is safe. Can I count on you?"

"I shall follow the solemn command of the reindeer king and watch over the snow queen," Olaf vowed. He then got more upbeat and yelled, "To the ice palace!"

"Do it quieter than that on the road. King's orders," Kristoff whispers.

"Right, right. To the ice palace!" Olaf gave an upbeat whisper, then whisper hummed on his way out.

Kristoff sighed and hoped he hadn't just misused his power. He both hoped and didn't hope Gaspar and Malin would come home and explain how they abused theirs. He hoped he could go to sleep for at least a few hours, and that he'd wake up without being buried under 10 feet of snow. And that Anna wouldn't bury him under the snow and ground when he finally told her what happened.

Those hope/futile pleas bought him about four hours of sleep, and no visitors. No point in getting greedy with his last bit of luck after that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kristoff finally made his way back into the castle, with about an hour left before sunrise. He walked quietly so as not to wake anyone, even though no one else was out here.

He found one person out there soon enough, though. One sleeping person. One sleeping against Elsa's closed door.

From what he knew, this wasn't the first time. Since this was the first time in at least seven months, though….yeah, this wouldn't be any easier.

Nevertheless, Kristoff dared to approach Anna's sleeping body. Of course, tapping her until she woke up wasn't a good strategy – the bruise on his chin didn't go away for three days last time. Settling on a compromise, he knocked on Elsa's door, in Anna's familiar rhythm, until she woke up.

She still stretched her arms far enough to miss his chin by inches. So it was a close victory. "Elsa?" Anna muttered as the rest of her shot up.

"No, no, it's not Elsa," Kristoff assured, getting an early start on breaking her heart. "Why do you ask?"

"She….she didn't come to say good night," Anna recounted. "The door's not locked, so that's good. I guess she fell asleep in her study and she….forgot to see me."

"She didn't forget you," Kristoff started with the good news. "Oh, wait!" he remembered, hugging Anna suddenly like Elsa wanted. When he broke away, he then remembered, "Right, and this is for the morning!"

"Kristoff, you're making me suspicious about hugs. That's _not _a good sign," Anna realized. Kristoff sighed and let go, in spite of how she probably wouldn't let him hug her again for a while.

"Just think of it as half my apology. I still got another half, I swear," Kristoff tried to soften the coming blow.

"Why?" Anna started to frown. Yet Kristoff was spared once again when they heard footsteps coming over.

He knew the bitter truth when he saw who those footsteps belonged to, though. But now they'd probably take more heat, so to speak, than he would.

"Mama? Papa?" Anna addressed them first. "Where's Elsa?"

"She's not in there?" Malin asked, sounding fairly worn out.

"She wasn't when I went to sleep here. And she's not magic enough to go through doors. I'd have begged for that power years ago if I knew she was," Anna said, somewhat lightly – while she still could.

"Well, she isn't," Kristoff confirmed. "If she got that powerful….it was after she left a few hours ago," he started to reveal.

"Left? Left where?" Anna frowned deeper.

"Anna….she's gone. She's on her way to the ice palace right now," Kristoff finally said.

"She's what?!" Anna panicked.

"The where?" Gaspar asked, although no one listened to him. Anna was too busy throwing Elsa's door open.

When she made sure Elsa hadn't snuck in after all, Anna rushed to the window. The sky was still awake with darkness, but it wasn't awake with snow. "Good," Anna breathed a sigh of relief. "But then why did she go? Why didn't she tell me?"

Seeing the other troubling part, she turned to Kristoff. "Why did she tell you? _When _did she tell you?"

"She told me she's definitely coming back! She said she'll come with you when you find her! If she's okay! I think that's the best things to tell, don't you?" Kristoff argued for himself. "Oh, and I sent Olaf to follow her and see she's okay! Okay, that's the good part!"

"Why are there bad parts?" Anna still wanted to know. "What happened to her?"

"Oh God…." she heard Malin say in response. Anna turned around and saw the broken looks on both her parents – an even louder response.

"What happened to her?" Anna realized she needed to ask them. They wouldn't or couldn't answer, so she asked them with more force. "_What _did you do?"

Malin seemed to cringe further after those words. Anna looked at her father, but he didn't seem any more eager to answer. Finally he all but forced himself to say, "We….tried to make her do things she didn't want to do again. _I _tried." He took upon himself, glancing apologetically at Malin. "It didn't go well."

"You told her to conceal it, didn't you?" Anna realized. "_Right _after Van Garrett did?" she asked with more volume.

"She didn't tell us that…." Malin tried to explain.

"Oh. She didn't tell you something big. WELL, HOW DOES IT FEEL?!" Anna suddenly exploded.

"Anna!" Kristoff reacted, even though she wasn't yelling at him for not telling her things right away. Not yet. Then again, maybe this wasn't a better alternative by much.

Ignoring him, Anna went on, "Now she's gone?! Now she's alone and scared and running again?! And she didn't even say goodbye….again…." Her anger gave way to sadness as she looked out the window.

"She's coming back, she promised! She wants us to get her this time! She just wanted time to feel better first," Kristoff dared to explain.

"She doesn't feel better _now_. Because…." Anna turned back to her parents, the anger winning out again. "_You_ did it to her _again_. You….you promised…."

With her despair and anger now dead even, Anna turned away from all of them. They heard heavy breathing, growling and even sobs all at the same time, and saw her arms and fists shaking as well. When they finally stopped shaking, however, so did she.

The noises started to fade, right as she stood up straighter. Soon, they didn't even hear her breathing out loud. Before long, Anna was finally able to turn around.

When she did, her boyfriend and parents almost wished she hadn't.

For the very first time, Kristoff, Gaspar and Malin looked at Anna and saw nothing there. No shine in her eyes. No smile. No happiness. No sadness. No anger. Nothing excitable, feisty or full of life. It was as if it was all drained out of her.

The flat, plain tone in her voice made it even worse.

"We're going to the North Mountain," she said, without any Anna in her voice. "We're going to be gone all day. You have 20 minutes to pack up and get ready. All of you."

"Anna…." Gaspar started, with much more broken emotion than she projected. But Anna had none of it left for him. Or her.

"You have 20 minutes," Anna repeated. "Whether you're packed or not."

Anna turned and walked out of Elsa's room, without acknowledging her parents or Kristoff any further. Only the little trembles in her posture told her the Anna they knew was still there.

Her parents' betrayal, and what it made Elsa do, had just buried her.

Like they had buried the real Elsa all those years ago.

The reality of that kept them still, with barely enough energy to stay on their feet. Kristoff knew better than to question them – whether he even wanted to let them defend themselves or not – and headed off in Anna's direction.

A direction she might not willingly want her parents to follow anymore. For good this time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eventually, Gaspar and Malin made themselves move, if only to follow Anna's deadline. They still didn't have enough energy to move quickly to their room, where they hoped to find their old big winter coats. Where they could maybe do one thing right.

Even that wasn't in the cards, as Kai found his way to them. "Your…." he almost said Your Majesty, then remembered to check if they were alone. Even when he saw they were, he merely said, "The Prime Minister wants to see you."

"He's up this late?" Malin asked. "We do need to see him….but we don't have time. Tell him we will later."

"He was very insistent that he see you now. He said he had to know you were okay," Kai kept on.

"We're not. We haven't been for years," Gaspar admitted. "Now we never will be."

"Well, he seems set on finding that out himself," Kai said with utmost sympathy. "He's waiting in chambers. Alone."

"If we're leaving all day….I suppose we can't let him be upset in the meantime," Malin admitted. "Maybe we can't afford to. Maybe Elsa can't…."

"We'll be right there," Gaspar said, cutting off at least one terrible thought for now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The two entered chambers two minutes later, putting on what little of Maurice and Idina that they could muster. Van Garrett was sitting in his chair as they entered. "You wanted to see us, Mr. Prime Minster?" Gaspar asked as Maurice.

"When we met, how long ago was it?" Van Garrett asked. "When we _really _first met. It wasn't in these chambers, was it? Was it even four weeks ago?"

"Of course it was. What are you talking about?" Gaspar tried to ask convincingly.

"When did we meet? And what did I try to do?" Van Garrett got up. "What did you give me instead?"

"We're not sure where you're going with this," Gaspar said, despite suspecting and fearing that he did.

"Have we known each other for more than a month?" Van Garrett asked as he got closer. "Can you tell me? Are you allowed to tell me?"

"No! I mean, no because we don't! We don't know you, we don't know anything! I can tell you honestly, we don't know anything!" Gaspar let more go than he wished he had. He turned his head away, willing himself to conceal.

Yet again, he chose the wrong strategy.

"It's okay. You don't have to be afraid," Van Garrett said more kindly. In spite of how wrong he was still getting it. "You can tell me anything."

"It's not that," Malin spoke as Idina. "We don't have anything left in us to lie anymore. Do we?" she asked more to Gaspar. He didn't even have to move to confirm it.

With no way out, and no power left to find one, Malin confirmed what Van Garrett already knew. "Hello, Tomas," she said in her normal voice.

"Hello, Tomas," Gaspar repeated as himself too, accepting one last failure.

Van Garrett heard the voices of the royals who spared him for the first time in over three years. He heard them in the Great Hall hours ago, yes. But to hear them talk to _him_….

Although he'd expected and hoped for it, it didn't mean he could fully take it in yet. When he came close, he lost sense of himself and wrapped his arms around the both of them. He let out a few sighs of relief before he came to his senses.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he remembered his place, showing it again by bowing on one knee.

"There's no need for that," Gaspar assured him.

"Yes there is," Van Garrett expressed as he got up. "You're _here_. You're home. You've….you've been here all along," it dawned on him. "This whole month, you've been right here. And….and you were there when that tree almost crushed….._oh_," it now dawned on him who he'd really saved hours ago.

"We do still owe you our lives, Tomas. That much isn't a lie," Gaspar promised.

"You owe _me_?" Van Garrett breathed out. "You know that's not true. I'm a _Prime Minister _because of you. You put me on the path to a real life….and you've been here to see it." The next thing that dawned on him was, "And she hid it from us."

"It was completely _our _idea," Gaspar cleared up right then. "We wanted to take in this….new Arendelle in private first. Then…." He still had no idea where it was supposed to go from there. If it could still go anywhere now.

"It doesn't matter now. None of it matters," Van Garrett declared. "You've come back to us. In our new hour of need. But it'll only be a minute once everyone knows."

"Everyone knows?" Malin repeated.

"Of course. Once you come forward and become King and Queen again," Van Garrett figured. "The Southern Isles will back off, our people will rejoice, and no nation will live in fear of us again! No one need ever live in fear again. Including you."

"Why did you include us?" Gaspar asked suspiciously.

"I saw her terrorize you last night. That's how I knew," Van Garrett admitted. "I would have come to you right then, but I needed time to compose myself. I can't imagine what _you've_ been living under, though….but no more."

"If you were there, how much did you actually hear?" Gaspar questioned.

"Enough to know who you were," Van Garrett stated. "Now all will know. Now the Hall will never come under attack by _anyone _again."

"Did you actually hear the _words_? That's what he meant," Malin assumed. "The words about our daughter's misery….how we caused it….and how we know it's all our fault."

"You don't have to lie to me. She's not here. Her excuses, and you having to appease her with baseless shame, aren't needed here," Van Garrett actually said comfortingly. "She_ didn't_ follow you, did she?"

"She's not even here! And it's our fault!" Gaspar said without thinking. But after beating himself up for another second, he figured they'd know she was gone soon enough. He still could have phrased the revelation better.

"Good. We can put you back on the throne and unite Arendelle before she even comes back," Van Garrett assumed. "That will break her spell on you for certain! If not -"

"Mr. Van Garrett!" Malin commanded, regaining all the strength and authority of a Queen. "You presume too much, sir. About a great many things. Like the one where we're going to take our daughter's throne."

"But it's _your _throne," Van Garrett said carefully. "Granted, we coronated her. There's never been a legal precedent for this….development before. But we have a case. Morally, if not legally, she has none."

"_You _think you have a case. Not us," Malin spoke for her and Gaspar. "I have let myself take too much from her. I will not be a part of taking _her _throne too. I never wanted to. All I wanted was my daughters back, and now they're _both _gone!"

Swallowing her grief for the sake of rage, Malin threatened, "If you had a part in setting that….chain of events off….I will dedicate my return to the public eye to _ending _the career _we_ gave you. To say nothing of any other chain you even _think _of."

"Your Highness…." Van Garrett swallowed. "This isn't like you…."

"You've presumed _enough _about my family. About your _Queen_," Malin told him. Turning to Gaspar, she asked, "Do I need to presume I'm alone on this?"

Gaspar only needed a second to give his answer.

"Never. The only promise I've _ever_ kept is that….you would never be alone. I'm truly lost if I forget that too," he admitted. Giving his first smile since the chandelier fell, he admitted, "I don't know if I could have phrased it quite like that, though."

"Do you have a better idea?" Malin offered.

"I don't think there's enough time to try," Gaspar reminded. "This is probably all I can do right now."

Going to Van Garrett, Gaspar told him, "Tomas, all of us have a lot to talk about. But first, we have to get our daughter back. Whether we have a right to call her that or not. And when we're all together and home….at least one last time….we can settle the rest among ourselves." Pausing to drive it home, he added, "But the one thing we're settled on now is that we are _not _taking the throne."

"Your Majesty…." Van Garrett breathed.

"Not anymore," Gaspar laid down. "There is one thing you can do for us. Keep our secret until we return. That is the last order you need to take from me."

"From _you_…." Van Garrett strangely emphasized. However, he spoke a full sentence again when he answered, "Of course. As always, I live to serve your best interests. No matter what our jobs are."

"I'm glad to hear that. And I've been glad to see you at your job. On most days," Gaspar informed. "Arendelle has three great leaders to protect her now. Me and my wife aren't the other two. Look after Arendelle while we reunite the other two."

"I will protect her at all costs. As I learned from you," Van Garrett. "I can promise you I always will."

"Very good. Hopefully we will all be home by tonight. All else aside," Gaspar hoped. With nothing else left, he led Malin out of chambers.

"Still a touch of the diplomat in you," Malin had to give it to him.

"Let's just hope I didn't use it too early," Gaspar focused on as they left.

10 seconds after they were clear, Van Garrett moved a muscle. "Did you get all that?" he moved his mouth muscles to ask.

The next people who used their muscles came out of every secret chamber in the chambers. They were all members of the council, and all were Van Garrett's primary opposition. He'd gotten them up this early and made them hide here, with the promise that if he didn't show King Gaspar and Queen Malin to be alive, he would resign as Prime Minister.

They were now resigned that they'd lost the wager. But they still got satisfaction over the Queen….well, former Queen's….little dressing down.

Nevertheless, they had served Van Garrett's purpose. Or they were about to.

"The Princess and her boyfriend are obviously leaving too. That's good," Van Garrett reasoned. "As soon as they're clear from Arendelle, I want every single member of this government in these chambers."

He had figured the King and Queen would want to come forward themselves, especially after last night. He only planned ahead in case they didn't – or couldn't – out of formality. But now, once his own enemies confirmed they were alive to the council, they would all believe it.

And then see exactly what needed to be done to save them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gaspar and Malin rushed to get coats, any winter supplies and hot chocolate they could carry to the stables. They found themselves late anyway – but Anna didn't even yell at them for that. It was as if she wasn't surprised.

That was likely the entire point of it all. The one that told them they weren't worth getting mad at anymore. They could object to every Prime Minister in the land on Elsa's behalf, but it was too late for them now.

Still, more lies of omission wouldn't help. So once Gaspar and Malin got in the back of the sled, and Anna and Kristoff settled in the front, Malin told them, "Van Garrett knows who we are."

Even that didn't get anything but a sigh and an, "Of course he does," from Anna.

There was nothing else to do but get Sven off and running, on the latest road trip towards their more emotional daughter.


	20. Unconditional

The North Mountain had gone from a mere mountain to nothing short of mere myth in seven months time. Even when the Great Thaw removed all the ice from Arendelle, the ice on that mountain endured, through the return of summer and all.

Some wanted to turn it into a tourist attraction to help Arendelle's economy recover. Fortunately, those plans never made it to the desks or messes of the Queen and Princess. As such, no one had successfully returned to the ice palace since the capture of the Queen.

Even now, its first visitor in seven months stopped halfway up the mountain.

It was better to do this at a distance from the palace. Especially since no one could possibly be here with her.

No one could get hurt, no one could judge, no one could say this wasn't worthy of a Queen – and no one could tell her to conceal. No one could do anything to hold back 13 years of fury anymore.

If it could all come out now, it wouldn't have to at Arendelle. It wouldn't have to around _them_. And since she was sure she hadn't set off any storms on her way out, _their _former subjects should be safe.

So should their remaining daughter.

A daughter who'd been abandoned by her older sister yet again. It didn't matter if Kristoff told her she'd come back. She still left without an explanation or a goodbye, or a hug – like she did then.

At the least, she should have been the one to tell Anna what…._they _tried to do. Now she'd been abandoned and she probably felt like she had no parents. All of it _again_.

It didn't matter that _they _were alive and she would come home. Anything that felt like then, if only fleetingly, was more cruel than Anna had any right to keep going through. Especially with no real family that could help her – and Kristoff still had at least a year to go before he'd get blessed for _anything_.

At this moment, Anna had no family she could cling to. Because Elsa ran away out of fear and emotion again. Because she made the same old mistakes – just like _they _did.

And that was probably supposed to make her forgive them. Let the past be in the past and bury everything else. Again.

Well, she wasn't here because she was in a forgiving mood.

The reminder made Elsa create several ice statues in the middle of the mountain. Unlike the statues and sculptures she made to start the holidays – the night _they_ came back – these wouldn't last the holiday.

They didn't even last the next few seconds.

When Elsa's power shattered them into pieces, she made taller creations. Yet they came apart with just a thought and a few hand waves.

She moved on to make figures out of snow, as the wind and more snow came down. They were zapped into oblivion before Elsa could even make out a shape.

The figures got taller. Her blasts got heavier. The destruction rained down harder. The storm front went wider. Her breathing got louder.

The memories got clearer. The betrayal was felt deeper. Her foolishness became more obvious. The pit of anger that started growing the first time Anna cried behind her door – and the first time Elsa was talked into no longer feeling - had finally grown too big for its subconscious prison.

When the avalanche started coming down, Elsa was too furious to be afraid. She merely raised her hands and the rampaging snow stopped, as if it had hit a wall. With a few more flicks, the wave was broken into a million pieces, flying around and landing harmlessly around her.

She'd burned off enough rage by now, she was more well aware this was close to a tantrum. If she was a normal girl throwing a normal tantrum, her normal parents would have yelled at her to stop. Normal parents would have probably given her a time out.

Normal parents wouldn't let it make them afraid. Or make them stop loving her without needing anything else from her.

Now when Elsa shot her icy blasts at the mountain, her growling was mixed with sobs. Now her eyes actually felt the cold and the wet around them. Now her yells were that much more broken.

Now she no longer cared which direction she fired in. Or that the blizzard forming around her made almost nothing visible. She could barely see through her angry tears anyway.

She should have known letting out all this, at long last, would only make it worse. She was a fool for that too.

For that, she let out a yell that her entire family would have heard - if they were only 10 minutes closer.

Someone did hear her, though. But she didn't hear that someone call out, "Elsa!" The wind, flurries and waking nightmares were too loud.

All she did was keep blasting magic into the ground and air. She turned around to shoot her next arctic blast – and thought she saw a carrot a split second afterwards.

Then she thought she saw a….white, round head flying away from her. After….something below it was blasted apart.

"Olaf?" she asked way too quietly in this storm.

Then when it cleared to help her see a few new snow piles – and two big twigs nearby – she got much louder. "OLAF!"

At that split second, the wind and blizzard stopped and the sky cleared up. Elsa could see everything now – including the head of Olaf barreling down the mountain.

Before he got out of sight and his head got any bigger, Elsa made a big wall of snow rise up, just in time for Olaf's head to collide into. Thankfully, it stayed intact.

"Elsa!" Olaf's decapitated head managed to call out. "I didn't get a big head from doing that, did I?"

Elsa breathed relief, more from him being alive than from his joke. A joke he made even after she….

In a panic – but a contained one that wouldn't disturb the elements, or Olaf's remains – Elsa rushed over to the rest of him. "You're gonna be okay…." Elsa told herself, and him although she couldn't hear her. "It's okay, I got you…."

Elsa tried to recapture every emotion she felt – every long dormant bit of happiness and warmth she had – when she first created Olaf. What if she didn't feel it this time and he changed because of it?

Well, all that knowledge and feeling was in his head, and it was fine, so maybe it didn't matter. For someone without a skull, he was hard headed. Almost halfway like someone else Elsa knew.

The memories of her brought back the memories of their first Olaf. Once again, it was enough to recreate the body of another one. All that was left – after the headless body stopped jumping around – was to take its hand and bring it back to its owner.

Elsa led the body to the head, then carefully put them back together by hand. After fixing Olaf's head until it was normal sized for him, he shook it around himself and it didn't fall off. "Perfect! I feel dizzy just like normal when I did that, so I'm fine! Thanks, Elsa!" Olaf praised.

"Thank me? I just…." Elsa gasped, now that it hit her. "What are you _doing _out here?! How did…." She answered her own question before finishing it. "Kristoff…."

"He told me to watch you until Anna got here. I guess I did more than that," Olaf admitted. "Don't tell him, okay? He'll trust me less on the next secret mission." After a pause, he added, "Oh, he also wanted me to make sure you're okay. I guess I failed on that too," he admitted with more concern.

"No, _you _didn't. They did. And I did," Elsa confessed. "What was I thinking? I can't feel anything, _anywhere_ without hurting someone I love…."

"You mean me?" Olaf looked surprised. "But you didn't hurt me! I can't feel stuff like that! You made a good call when you gave me that power, by the way. But now you should be okay!"

"I'm _not _okay," Elsa admitted. "Every time I think I will be, I'm not." Pausing to sigh, she added, "If they loved me the right way, none of it would have happened. It wouldn't _still_ be happening. I know most of it is my fault, but…."

Elsa felt the equivalent of 100 ice shards inside her as she admitted, "I _hate _my parents. I love them _so much_, but I hate them too. So if I wasn't a monster _before_…." Another sigh brought on, "And the only person who might understand that….I _still _keep running away from."

"Okay, that's not me, right?" Olaf asked. "I know I don't understand what that's like."

"How could you?" Elsa reflected sadly.

"Right, because I just love my mom," Olaf agreed. That wasn't where Elsa was going with that.

Yet he continued with, "I mean, I _can't_ hate her too! She made me, she plays with me even when she's busy, and she taught me how to eat chocolate! Oh, and she fixes me when I gotta get put back together, she treats me like a regular person even when other people don't, and she loves me no matter how different I am! And I know how to love with all my heart because she showed me how!"

Getting sadder for some reason, Olaf finished, "I'm sorry I don't have a mom I could hate a little bit too. But that's all I got."

All Elsa had, for as long as she could remember, was parents who loved her with conditions. With at least one costly ounce of fear. Who couldn't afford to embrace her for being different, or love with every single piece of their heart. Not like Anna.

And….not like the way Olaf said Elsa loved him. Well, of course she loved him. She….

She poured all the buried love she had into making him. And she loved the living him like a parent. Like the parents she _once _had.

She may not have had those parents now, after all this time. And yet, in a weird way, she still _was _that parent now. Even without having one for her own.

Elsa sat down, overcome with emotion again. None of it made the winds blow or sculptures shatter, though. Nothing shattered but Elsa.

Before she knew it, she was holding herself like in the old days. Another habit of the old days back anew.

"I know what that means," Olaf interrupted. "That means you wanna be hugged, right?"

Where did he get that from? Well….the way she looked might have told him something. But she did this all the time before she even made Olaf. As far back as….

….the first day she told her parents not to touch her.

Maybe among all the things she accidentally gave Olaf, knowing a dormant subconscious truth or two was one of them.

But it wasn't dormant now. Not every time she held herself like this – wanting somewhere in the deep, dark, dangerous part of her brain for _someone else_ to just hold her, comfort her and let her know it would all be okay.

Like she might have wanted when she told Anna to leave at the coronation, right before everything was exposed. Like she might have wanted at the Great Hall last night, before _they _gave her fear and anger instead.

Yet Olaf didn't know how to give fear and anger. By some miracle, she never passed it on to him.

So Elsa stopped herself from caring how this looked. How ridiculous it was for the Queen of Arendelle to be on her knees, halfway up a mountain, opening her arms up and letting herself get hugged by a talking snowman.

But she was being held and hugged by something rarer. One of the only two beings on this Earth who loved her, completely and utterly without condition.

And even with her upbringing, she could love two beings on this Earth the exact same way.

She wished so much that it was four. Maybe she could hope for five, if Kristoff kept showing promise.

But right now, just being hugged by one, with nothing but love, soothed all other ills. So that's what that felt like from someone other than Anna.

The tears running down her cheeks were even quiet ones now. Maybe not even all sad ones. Elsa still knew she should hug back, out of courtesy and love, yet Olaf didn't say anything.

He didn't mind what she was doing or not doing. He just wanted to make her feel better. Like he somehow learned from his mother. Who would probably only get to have snowmen for children – and yet she loved them without any hesitation.

Regardless of how she could have possibly learned how.

She let out a small audible sob once she finally put her arms around Olaf. But that was all. The silence and the warmth endured several moments longer – until a faint but recognizable roar was heard from above.

"Is that….Marshmallow?" Olaf asked. "Wow, we must have woke him up good, huh?"

Elsa took a second, but she remembered who he was talking about – and what she was still doing here. "Right, right. He didn't crash down here, so he should be okay. So should the palace," she convinced herself as she and Olaf broke apart.

"Do you still wanna go up and check?" Olaf checked.

Maybe it wasn't necessary now. Maybe she could go down, find Anna and Kristoff on the way and just go home early. Maybe they'd even know what to do about _them_ when they got back. Maybe they could even figure it out together.

But for all she knew, they could go down there and miss Anna altogether. Besides, it might be nice to sit down after walking around for hours. And she'd have her _two _snowmen for company until Anna arrived, it seemed. That didn't seem so bad or dangerous now.

"Just stay close to me this time when we do. Okay?" Elsa answered. Olaf nodded his head, again keeping himself from getting dizzy.

But he stopped when Elsa took his hand, wearing her first smile since the chandelier fell. Olaf then merely moved his legs as he followed his mom up the mountain.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The royal council once went three whole years without a member of the royal family present. Now in this first meeting without one in seven months, they were being regaled with….wild tales about how two royals were back from the dead. From their own Prime Minister, no less.

And yet these tales were backed up by the most strident voices against him. Other than the Queen's. Or rather, the current Queen. The old one….

Why _would_ these men say that she and King Gaspar were alive? That they'd seen them in chambers just an hour ago? That they'd been disguised as the Queen and Princess's new personal servants for a month?

The Prime Minister could have made it up on his own, knowing his….worship of them. But he never could have bought off these others to agree with it. So if it was actually true….

"Let's assume, for the record, it is true," the Judicial Advisor asked first. "What does this mean? Queen Elsa was coronated legally, well before the snow fell. There's no precedent to put a….presumed dead King and Queen on the throne, over a legally crowned Queen."

"But there's no precedent against it," Van Garrett proposed. "It would be perfectly legal. If we made it legal."

"You're forgetting one thing," one of his only temporary friends reminded. "You didn't mention how the King and Queen rejected taking the throne. Quite decisively, I might add. We heard the whole thing. If we aren't lying about the other parts, why would we lie about that?"

"Okay, it's not a lie! But it's not the whole truth!" Van Garrett voiced. "You _didn't _see them get terrorized by her last night. Just for making valid points about a failing strategy!"

"The same one you happened to rant about first?" a second 'friend' pointed out.

"Leaving that aside!" Van Garrett stopped. "The important thing is….we know the King and Queen. We know they kept us safe from her for 10 years. They would _not _just stop now! Not of their own free will."

Getting to the point, he predicted, "It is my belief that Queen Elsa is forcing them to refuse the throne. Out of a spell, or simple intimidation like last night, I don't know. The point is…that wasn't _them _who I talked to this morning. Not the real them. That's why we need to stand united with them and break her spell, then give Arendelle the leadership it truly needs!"

"What you suggest is dangerously close to treason," the Mayor objected.

"She committed it first by denying us our _true _leaders!" Van Garrett argued.

"Do you have any _proof _to back that up?" the Judicial Advisor wondered.

"The evidence is right there!" Van Garrett answered. "It's plain for all to see!"

"Maybe only for _you _to see," the Admiral replied. "You _insisted _that we not rush to judgment last night against the Southern Isles. You wanted us to get the facts first. And yet you're not using that same standard for this."

"We have no choice! Not with stakes like this!" Van Garrett retorted. "Our beloved King and Queen have been found, are in danger from their own daughter _again_, and you're debating over standards? Where is your loyalty?"

"You're right. We're not the most loyal bunch," the Treasury Secretary admitted. "We weren't when we believed Prince Hans and condemned Queen Elsa to death. We didn't bother to know more then, and the Queen _and _Princess almost died. And we almost lost Arendelle to a usurper."

"And now we can take Arendelle _back _from one," Van Garrett took from that.

"Mr. Van Garrett!" the Mayor boomed out. "You are still talking about your Queen. _Our _Queen. A Queen we rushed to judge once, and nearly doomed Arendelle for it. A Queen who's earned more consideration than that ever since, all things considered."

"We're not saying there aren't issues here," the Judicial Advisor stated. "ButI advise we wait for the Queen and Princess to return, talk to them, and find the truth. And if King Gaspar and Queen Malin do refuse the throne….then we may have little legal right to force them. If they really have survived all this time….do we have a _moral _right to force them? After whatever madness they must have been through?"

The council seemed to agree, for the most part. But the council wasn't Van Garrett.

"I don't believe what I'm hearing," Van Garrett concluded. "Maybe I should, though. None of you appreciated them before. Why should you now that they're back? So why _not _abandon them, and Arendelle, to her whims when they need you most?"

"You don't know that," the Mayor tried to remind.

"_You _don't know _them_!" Van Garrett yelled. "If you _knew _who they were, you'd know this _couldn't _be what they want! You'd know their compassion, mercy and generosity! How they could uplift even the lowest pond scum to something worthwhile! How they taught us all about upholding the greater good! _Then _you wouldn't be so much more concerned about judging _her_! Fear of her I could forgive, but…."

Van Garrett sat back down at his chair, the fight draining out of him. "You know what? If this is truly our government now….I suppose there's no fighting it. Go and wait for them. Prepare your precious legal debates. You might as well get a head start now. Meeting adjourned."

With no more room for debate now, and some relieved that there wasn't, the rest of the council filed out. Van Garrett remained seated, however, even when he was all alone. And even when Kai came in to see for himself.

"I would have nothing without them," Van Garrett said when he knew someone was listening. "They made me a good man again. How good can I be if I fail them now? When I know I can save them like they saved me? No matter what it costs?"

Without even waiting for Kai to answer, Van Garrett had one himself.

"If they can leave, so can I," he figured. "Cancel all appointments for myself and the Queen. I have my own errands to run. If the royal family returns before I do, make sure they stay here."

Kai already canceled the Queen's appointments, so canceling the Prime Minister's wouldn't be a problem. But as Van Garrett left, Kai had to wonder why it was necessary.

Part of him even worried why it was. Maybe a larger part than he should be comfortable with.

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"I'm sorry if I missed it earlier. But what exactly is at this mountain? Other than Elsa, apparently?" Malin double checked.

"Ice palace. She made it when she ran away the first time," was all Anna said. That only made Malin's efforts to talk to her half a failure. It was more words than she gave her father, anyway.

Maybe that, and figuring out what this ice palace was, would give them something to think about the rest of the trip. Other than Anna's first ever silent treatment.

"Hey," Kristoff started quietly to Anna. "So, um….does your version of a silent treatment go for me too? I mean, I can't say I didn't wish for one the first time we came here. For those two seconds it _was_ quiet. But it's….not as much fun in reality."

"The fun'll end for you once we find Elsa," Anna said quietly. "But I'm done with them. They had their chance. Let's see how they like being shut out."

"So you're gonna pay them back by being cold and distant. Like you thought Elsa was to you, because of them," Kristoff nitpicked.

"But _I'm _gonna mean it," Anna insisted.

"And by it, you mean….not being Anna," Kristoff dared. "After 13 years of closed doors, Hans, and frozen hearts, _that's _what's gonna make you stop being a feisty pants."

"Only for them!" Anna hissed.

"Elsa stopped being herself only for you at first too. And look what came outta that. No matter whose fault it was," Kristoff pointed off. "No matter how she feels about them, I know she wouldn't want you to change because of it. For her or them."

"Did she tell that to you instead of me too?" Anna answered, borrowing Elsa's "Don't bother to answer that question" tone. So he didn't.

But he hoped he didn't mistake the hint of her "I know you're right, but let me be stubborn a while longer," tone in there.

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The area halfway up the mountain had largely been cleaned, as if Elsa, Olaf and an avalanche were never there. But there was no hiding what they saw on the horizon now.

Despite being sour the entire trip, Anna couldn't hide her awe over seeing Elsa's ice palace again. Kristoff did a slightly better job of keeping his drool in his mouth this time, but not by much.

However, as ice palace rookies, Gaspar and Malin couldn't hide anything.

"What is this?" Gaspar gasped. "Yes, you said ice palace, but….you only _said _it…."

"This is Elsa's?" Malin asked. "No, it….it would have taken years out here to build. She didn't sneak out while we were dead….did she?"

"No. She just stomped her foot and it rose on its own in a second. At least that's how she tells it. Right, Anna?" Kristoff tried to give them this ideal ice breaker.

"She tells it better," Anna stuck to being curt, even with her old awed look on her face. That was somewhat of a win.

Anna led the way across the ice bridge without looking back, her eyes still on the palace for a few reasons. Eventually, the top one was to see if she could spot Elsa inside, or even outside. Maybe she was just waiting for her like Kristoff said, and really would come home. Even with them.

However, when they got to the other side of the bridge, someone else Anna hadn't seen for a while was there instead. Someone much taller than Elsa.

"Oh, right, you!" Anna groaned, as Marshmallow reappeared to her and Kristoff – and appeared for the first time to Gaspar and Malin.

"What is _that_?!" Gaspar asked with less awe. "You didn't say anything about that!"

"Well, he was too rude to say anything nice about, okay?" Anna scrambled to explain – without saying why Elsa made him so rude. The less about what she did in those moments – by _accident_, as if they'd understand - the better.

"Is that…." Malin started, as she actually walked towards the creature. "Is he _wearing _my tiara?!" Sure enough, everyone could see he was.

"What is this….creature doing with that?" Gaspar demanded. "I picked that out for my wife over 20 years ago! It was supposed to be passed onto my daughter! Not to that!"

"Why do you have it?" Malin got more direct. "What did you do to make Elsa lose it? Show me my daughter now!" Instead, Marshmallow picked her up and lifted her up to his face.

"Queen Malin!" Kristoff gasped. "You can't throw her! It's….it's rude! Much more than not nice! Right, Anna?"

But Anna wasn't talking to her, yet again. However, in this case, it might not have been from bitterness or rage.

"Protect Anna, Kristoff! Keep Malin near the ground! Tell me there's a weapon in that sled!" Gaspar ordered. Yet a low growl from Marshmallow overshadowed all his orders.

As the growl went on longer, it began to sound more like a word. A word that was shaping up to be….

"Meeeemawww…."

Malin only had a second to translate it before she was crushed. Crushed tightly against Marshmallow in a big hug, that is.

"That's good! Just a five second hug, though! Meemaw's gotta work to earn a 10 second one back, okay?" everyone heard next. But not from Marshmallow.

"Olaf?!" Kristoff reacted first, as Olaf emerged from behind Marshmallow's head and stood on his shoulder. "What are you doing….with _him_? Didn't I send you to watch someone else?"

"Elsa said I didn't have to watch her lie down anymore!" Olaf explained. "I think me and Marshmallow wore her out."

"I….might know how that feels soon…." Malin exhaled.

"Oh, right! Sorry you earned two extra seconds early, Meemaw!" Olaf apologized as Marshmallow put her down. Gaspar rushed over to hug her, while Anna approached more silently – proving that was possible too.

Anna looked at a safe Malin for a few seconds, but brushed aside whatever that made her feel. "Wait a second! Has Elsa been…_playing _with you guys this whole time?" she asked Olaf.

"No, not the whole time!" Olaf claimed. "That contest on who could make the bigger snowball was more of a bet than playing. And we spent a minute digging Elsa out of her losing snowball, so that wasn't playing either. Then she went in and laid down, so that was another few minutes, then she told us to wait for you…."

"She's waiting for us? Where?" Anna asked, in a more familiar manner that made Kristoff relieved.

"Right in there," Olaf pointed to the palace. "Are you gonna build a snowball against her next? Kristoff, Peepaw, you wanna play winners?"

"Hold that thought and those snowballs," Anna said as she headed for the door. She almost pulled it open, but since she knew Elsa was in this room, she got herself to knock first. Like last time, it opened right away for her anyway.

Anna headed right inside, seeing that inside was just as shiny and gorgeous as ever. So was the roof, the open space, the staircase – and thankfully, even the person coming towards the staircase.

"Elsa!" Anna celebrated, then stopped herself right before she reached the first step. She brushed aside flashbacks of the other times she held back for Elsa, and focused on how she actually looked. And she looked….less stressed out and teary than she feared. She did look kind of awkward now, though.

"Anna," Elsa said. "So Kristoff gave you my message?"

"Most of them. I figured out the rest," Anna started. "Elsa….are you okay?"

"I'm better than I was," Elsa told her as she walked down. "Are you? I know I should have told you about…."

"I know, it's okay now. And Arendelle's fine. You didn't freeze anything," Anna assured her. "And you aren't alone here this time, so that's good. Right?"

"It got better," Elsa promised. "I think it's good enough now. If you didn't break another sled, I suppose we can get home by sunset."

Before Anna could respond, Elsa saw the door open again – and saw who else opened it other than Kristoff.

"This is impossible…." Gaspar expressed as he came in.

"I don't think that's the most fitting word for…." Malin didn't finish, once she saw who she was about to mention.

When Elsa saw her and her father, she had nothing to say. After all the things she just felt, and was just starting to recover from, going through it again seemed like too much today. Olaf probably didn't have another bout of surprise wisdom in him today, and Anna had likely been through enough.

The fact she used that as an excuse, _again_, probably said it all.

"So you're all here to take me home," Elsa stated. "Like I told Kristoff, I want that too this time."

"I don't this time. Not yet," Anna surprised the family – before going to the front door and locking them all inside.

"None of us are going anywhere. Not until we get it all out once and for all."


	21. Now They Know

The idea of "getting it all out once and for all" filled Elsa with trepidation. She thought she already took care of that – regardless of what it almost did to Olaf. Maybe if Anna knew that –

"Elsa, you start off," Anna told her first. "Clearly when I got angry at them, it didn't make a difference. Maybe it will coming from you."

"I already got angry at them. That's why I had to come here," Elsa reminded.

"But you didn't _tell _them everything, did you?" Anna asked. "They should know _exactly _what they did to you. I tried to tell them and it didn't work. It wasn't even my place, anyway. It's yours."

"I think they know how I feel," Elsa figured.

"You need to explain it to them," Anna still pressed on. "Maybe then they'll think twice before they make you feel that way again."

"We will, trust me," Malin spoke up.

"How can we?" Anna objected. "We've tried everything, and we still can't! This is all that's left! The one thing we _never _did for 13 years! Be completely honest with each other!"

"Even if it….destroys more than it heals?" Elsa tried to be subtle.

"You won't freeze or hurt anyone this time, because I'm here," Anna promised. "You know I won't let you go too far."

"And yet you're setting up the possibility," Elsa nitpicked. "It might be better if we just went home first."

"And then what? We bury everything again, _pretend_ we're getting better, then make the same mistakes again in the next crisis?" Anna foresaw. "Then keep doing it all over again for the rest of our lives? I can't live like that anymore! You can't live like that! Even they can't!"

Anna went closer to Elsa and urged further. "Elsa, you don't have to conceal _anything _from them anymore. Tell them everything you always wanted to tell them, whether a 'good girl' would say it or not. It's the last chance they have to really learn! And stay learned!"

"This doesn't sound like you want to 'learn' them," Elsa pondered. "It sounds like you just want me to yell at them. Because you've given up doing it yourself."

"But you haven't given up on them! For some weird reason!" Anna shot back. "Tell them how hard it's been for you, and _then _they might stop pushing you!"

"At least then _someone _would stop," Elsa muttered almost too quietly. But not enough.

Yet Anna still exclaimed, "That's good! Brutal honesty! All right, you practiced on me, now it's their turn!"

"What good would that do? Really?" Elsa still questioned Anna instead. "What good have just _words _done? You thought words were all you needed to get me out of here the _first _time. Look how _that _turned out!"

"Maybe if someone knew how to talk better themselves, it would have!" Anna argued. "And I don't mean with fancy grammar stuff! I mean with _honest _stuff! And who didn't teach you how to do that? Because it wasn't me!"

"Maybe if someone knew there were things that should _stay _buried, it would have been easier," Elsa shot back.

"Maybe if someone wasn't so good at burying, she could tell the difference," Anna retorted. "And maybe if someone had ever fought back against _other people_, she wouldn't be fighting with me instead of them!"

"Maybe if someone remembered how dangerous fighting is for me! Maybe if someone was more careful, which they could have been at least _twice _in the last 13 years! Then maybe _they_ wouldn't have done anything to deserve getting yelled at in the first place!" Elsa got really brutally honest.

"But I didn't, and they did, and you've let them off the hook long enough! I did too! After what they did to you, why can't you stop?!" Anna demanded to know.

"You always need to know so much. No matter what damage it does," Elsa accused.

"What damage?! You've done enough of it because of them! What else are you so afraid of?!" Anna asked a very familiar question.

"FINE!" Elsa yelled, ice spikes rising from the ground around her and making Anna finally back off. Their silent three-person audience backed up as well.

But this display of magic wasn't as bad as the last time Anna pushed Elsa in this palace. And she had more words to say afterwards.

"What do you want to know?" Elsa started sarcastically. "What do you _all _want to know?" she addressed the rest of them. "How I cried myself to sleep the first night without Anna? How I never went a whole week without doing that for _years _at a time?"

Pointing to Gaspar, she went on, "How I saw you cringe every time you saw my powers after that night? How you _stopped _cringing and then just….gave up in those last few years?" To Malin, she asked, "How I felt when you stopped visiting me for days at a time when I was 13? Even weeks?"

"It got too hard…." Malin explained. "It was all I could do to keep going on…."

"_You _go on?!" Elsa exploded. "As if I _wanted _to go on after you died?!"

Further proving otherwise, Elsa expanded, "I let Anna 'bury' you all by herself! And it was all _I _could take not to freeze my window and _jump_! The only reason I didn't, other than her, is because I knew you and him would just be disappointed one last time! Not sad, not even grief stricken….just _disappointed_ in me. That's all I let myself believe. It was _very _easy by then."

No one found any of this easy right now. Not Elsa, not her parents, not Kristoff by this point – and certainly not Anna. Yet Elsa was only fueled on by Anna's newfound reluctance.

"There. Something like that?" Elsa asked. "Or maybe they should hear how I hated myself every single time you knocked on my door. Or how I _still _haven't gone more than a week without some kind of nightmare since I was eight. Or how I felt I was a failure every day I felt _anything_, even right after the thaw? But since _that's _a feeling too, why should that matter?"

"No, it…." Gaspar couldn't even finish that much.

"Well, here's the funny part," Elsa started. "Turns out you can't _not_ feel. Turns out it's impossible. But I can't blame that on my powers. Even if I was normal, you would have told me to conceal anyway. Part of being a good ruler and all. That's how you learned it, right?

Gaspar would have objected, but he and Elsa knew he couldn't. "Right. That's how you make the tough decisions," Elsa confirmed. "Like letting your own daughter believe she was a monster, and giving up on trying to stop her. Like making shackles to lock her up that didn't even work. Like teaching her how to make the only person who ever loved her feel all alone."

"We still loved you…." Malin tried to tell her.

"Did you?" Elsa asked. "I loved Anna with my entire heart every day! Even when she thought I hated her for no reason! I thought I wasn't worth love like that for 13 years, and I _still _know more about it than you do! You love _and _fear me, even now! Just like I…."

At that, Elsa's momentum stopped. She had already admitted the next part to Olaf, but they weren't Olaf. This time she _really _had to face the awful truth. And all the awful feelings it brought up.

"I'm so tired of this," it made her admit. "When do I get to _stop _feeling like this? When do I get to stop feeling like I'm selfish for wanting things? Sometimes I almost think it'd be good to stop feeling after all! At least until I try to stop!"

Elsa seemed a little more composed, as she let herself recall better things. "But I can't. I _need_ to feel. I need love, joy, pride, compassion, comfort, empathy, mercy, _warmth_…." She let herself fill that need for a second before continuing, "I became a monster when I _stopped _letting myself feel all that. Even all the bad feelings I had instead were _still _feelings. And you can't just get rid of _those _either."

"That's why I hate feelings too. I hate _and _love them so much. Just like my powers." Steeling herself, she revealed to her parents, "But I really learned that when I realized how much I loved _and _hated you."

Gaspar and Malin looked like they wanted to be anywhere but there. At that point, they might have preferred to be back in the ocean. Still, they stayed anyway, even as Elsa couldn't stop herself yet.

"That's why I renounced you seven months ago. Because I spent my whole life trying to be you, and it almost killed me. It _did _kill Anna. And I couldn't be who _I _wanted to be if I kept caring about _you_. But here we are." Elsa let out a bitter laugh. "Here I am, making the same old mistakes of my past. I guess I _am _just like you after all. It took me long enough."

"We don't want you to be us," Gaspar weakly said. "We wouldn't wish that on anyone…."

"Your wishes don't mean anything," Elsa admitted. "You can never say the c-word again, stop being afraid and support me the rest of my life. But it can't make up for when you _didn't_. Nothing can. I helped you scar me for _life_, and scar Anna….and those scars can't ever go away. Those lost 13 years are _never _going away."

Resignation and some finality was on Elsa's face and voice now. "You can realize you were wrong and say sorry all you want. But there's _nothing _you can say or do to make it okay. Nothing you could have done this whole month. I can still love you and I could forgive you one day….but you could _never_, ever make it up to me. Or Anna. All you did by coming back is to prove it."

Elsa unconsciously made her way to the staircase. When she was more conscious of it, she wrapped up, "There it is. Now you know everything. Every depressing, hopeless thing. I hope you handle it over the next 13 years better than I have."

She turned and walked up the steps, even as she heard the trembling and near collapse of her parents. They actually fell on their knees by the time Elsa got to the top floor and left everyone's view.

When Anna finished watching that, she saw the other thing she'd achieved from all this. As it turned out, the sight of her broken parents was even worse. If the Anna from 10 minutes ago could have felt that….maybe she wouldn't have to feel the other things.

Kristoff had been the only quiet one through all this. Yet he wondered if he was the only one who noticed through all her emotional rants – at least the big ones after the ice spike thing - Elsa's powers hadn't leaked out once.

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The seediest, most criminally infested bars in Arendelle were both rowdy and on edge. Rowdy because of the chaos the law had to deal with last night – and on edge because they'd probably get pinched in the crossfire for it. But with word spreading that the Snow Queen and the Princess had run away again, the rowdiness won out for now.

One of the more senior criminal figures of the bunch was content. Suspiciously content, if anyone noticed. That was why he kept to himself so no one would notice. Yet someone noticed him and followed him as he headed down the back halls.

"Funny business, that ball last night," the man heard behind him. He turned to see a figure wearing a green hood over his face, with a gruff but….oddly familiar voice.

"From what I heard, they could have killed the entire royal family. Yet as it turns out, the only person they bothered to attack personally was the Prime Minister," the figure recounted. "Why single him out? The Southern Isles has more reason to go after the Queen and Princess, after all."

The figure backed the other man up, as he scrambled to make sense of this rant. Or find another way that it could make sense.

"Those men would have needed a powerful, criminal ally to help them hide in Arendelle. Who knew how to help them blend in," the figure went on. "He probably asked for a fortune. Maybe even a favor. A favor like….singling out and punching out an old partner who sold him out. The kind of selling out that'd still linger over 20 years later. Especially if he's….moved up in the world since then."

The identity of the man in the hood was quite obvious by now. Yet he still lowered it just enough to confirm it. "Hello, Max," Prime Minister Van Garrett greeted. "Go on, admire your handiwork," he pointed to his still bruised eye.

"I should have paid them to do more," Max growled. "After what you did…."

"You gave me the job to rob the palace. You could have ignored my begging by killing me or putting me in a coma. You paid the price for mercy," Van Garrett figured.

"You could have _not_ ratted me and my crew out. A crew that was the last people alive who'd take you in then!" Max hissed. "You couldn't have conned your way into government if we weren't that merciful! But you're right, I _am _paying the price for mercy now. But old habits can change."

Before he could change them, however, Van Garrett got the drop and pinned him against the nearest corner of the wall. "Oh! How unbecoming of a Prime Minister! What would your precious royal family say? Especially if I told them?" Max mocked.

"No one believed you then. That's why you never even tried blackmail. Not while the King and Queen were alive to protect me," Van Garrett ignored the knot in his stomach over that point. "Then I got too powerful and you had other things to do. As you _just _confirmed, one of them involved shacking up mercenaries of the Southern Isles."

"I wish!" Max revealed. "They're just old buddies of that disgraced prince of theirs. He just wanted them to mess things up until he got out of prison! Then your friends would declare war by the time he got out, he'd come back and beat them, some garbage like that!"

"So this isn't even an official Southern Isles operation," Van Garrett realized. "Just one prince laying the groundwork for…..some war that wouldn't even start for months."

"You wanna put it like that, go ahead," Max answered.

"Finally, a break," Van Garrett sighed in relief, then released his hold on Max. "I suppose that earned you a little something."

"Oh, you're paying back debts now," Max mocked. "You owe me over 20 years worth of debts. Plus interest for me not blackmailing you!"

"Luckily I had a down payment all set," Van Garrett teased.

Without another word, he took Max and led him out of the bar. They went to the back, where a horse and carriage was waiting – not the official one of the Prime Minister, however. But it was big enough for both of them to fit in the carriage, along with two big satchels.

Van Garrett handed Max one of them and clutched the other one tight. When Max opened his satchel, he saw the need for secrecy. He could barely see anything else through all the shining gold, however.

"That's 25 percent of my entire fortune. Everything I saved for the last 20 years. More than I ever could have given you back then," Van Garrett teased, holding his other satchel of gold closer in case Max got any ideas.

"You'll only get the next 25 percent _after_ you take me to your Southern Isles friends. Whether they give you a finder's fee from the 50 percent I give them….you can work that out among yourselves. Provided all goes well when I see them," he offered.

"What is all this?" Max got suspicious. "Power made you go all batty?"

"It's not my power I'm fighting for," Van Garrett answered. "So are we even enough to go for a ride or not?"

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Anna finally found Elsa sitting on an ice bench. That must have been a new addition. Not like she had much time to tour the place last time. All she did last time was keep pushing Elsa until she exploded – and now here they were again.

But if Elsa could actually open up, Anna could stop being stubborn too. Even if it was too late.

Still, when Anna sat down and saw Elsa with that blank look on her face, her heart felt too heavy to talk. Not heavy with ice this time. Yet she finally gave an uncharacteristically quiet – if not uncharacteristic, period – "I'm sorry."

When Elsa looked at her, Anna made herself expand. "I'm sorry I pushed you over and over like that. _Again_. Maybe I did just wanna see them squirm. I didn't want to at the end, though," she confessed. "All I got out of it was….knowing I made the same old mistakes all over again. Just like _they _did. Like you think you did."

"It's like you said," Elsa admitted. "We have peace for a few months, then relapse, then do the same stupid things we vowed never to do again. Then we make new vows and break them anyway. I guess that's supposed to be our new routine forever."

Anna was about ready to accept that. Until she actually thought about it.

"No….no, wait a minute," she started going over. "We did the same thing….but we did it different. _You _did it different!"

"Because I actually yelled at them," Elsa figured.

"No, before that!" Anna got excited. "You ran away again, yeah! But this time you told Kristoff to come get me! You _wanted _me to find you and bring you back! You didn't freeze anything, you didn't hurt my heart, and you didn't wanna stay away forever! That's different! That's progress!"

If Elsa could have objected, Anna didn't give her the chance. "Yeah, and _then_ you yelled at Mama and Papa! But that's not the best part! You yelled at them and you didn't use your powers once! I mean, when you started yelling at _them_! But then you were in control the whole time!"

As Elsa started reflecting on things other than her words, she started working out the same math Anna did. She didn't remember one flurry falling – not like the thousands from when she sang with Anna here last time. Because there were none. She got emotional and nothing else happened….

"Well, I wasn't in control before you got here," she excused. "Olaf can tell you that. Maybe I just got all my anger out early."

"No, you were pretty upset. But you did it magic free," Anna smiled. "Even they'll figure that out at some point."

She paused and made herself concede, "And for what it's worth….they actually listened to you. They were pretty upset, but they didn't make you stop. They let you feel that time, anyway. That's pretty different, at least for them."

"I suppose," Elsa admitted.

"Maybe that's what makes it okay," Anna predicted. "We're still pushing each other, running away, giving terrible orders….but we're fixing them a lot faster! We're talking them out now! Maybe we'll never stop messing up, but now we can make it right when we do! We keep doing that, it won't be so bad doing the other stuff over and over too!"

"Shouldn't we actually stop doing the other stuff at some point too?" Elsa reminded.

"You can't stop years of bad habits overnight. What are you, from a fairy tale?" Anna had the gall to mock Elsa for. "But they're not so bad now. The more we work this stuff out, the less bad it gets! Even if they'll never go away! I mean, look at me! I realized I pushed you too much a lot faster this time!"

The return of Anna's high spirits ended as suddenly as it started, however. "I guess that's taking a lot longer to fix. I really am sorry." She reflected further and asked, "Do you think this is my fault?"

"Why would I think that?" Elsa asked with genuine surprise.

"Van Garrett. He said my insecurities shouldn't mean more than Arendelle. That's the only thing he got right," Anna realized. "If I didn't push him because I was afraid you'd close the gates, maybe he wouldn't have said that wrong stuff. Then maybe you wouldn't have stormed out, found them, got in that fight and came here. Maybe they would have calmed down before you even found them."

Getting further down on herself, Anna reflected, "Maybe we'd all be home right now and we'd still be a family. Like we would have if I never made you get outta bed 13 years ago…."

"Anna, stop it," Elsa got serious. "None of that is your fault."

"Well, I'm tired of you thinking it's yours!" Anna confessed. "You gotta give yourself more credit than that! _I _have to give you more credit!"

"You give me more credit than I've ever deserved," Elsa shared.

"No I don't. If I did, I wouldn't have minded you closing the gates," Anna said. "It shouldn't matter anymore. You've done so much more to prove yourself than opening gates. I have to stop being so afraid that you'll go back to…._then_. Even if you close things."

"You're not the only one who's afraid of that," Elsa reminded.

"Well, I shouldn't be. And neither should you," Anna figured. "I was scared when they came back, I was scared when Van Garrett wanted to close the gates, and I was scared when you ran away. I have to stop. You're too strong to ever go back to _then _again. And I should stop making you do things to prove it."

"Anna, if you never forced me, I'd still be in my room right now," Elsa said. "We wouldn't be sisters again. I can't risk doing _anything _that might….put that at risk again. You're not the only one who couldn't handle that."

"You should do what _you _want to do. Not what I want, not what they want, not Van Garrett, the council, _anyone_," Anna insisted. "Even if you….use old habits, you'll still be the same great Queen, amazing sister and wonderful person you've always been. I know you will."

When her parents told Elsa they knew she could do something last night, she felt their pressure and fear. But when Anna said it, she felt nothing but faith, honesty and love.

"I'm not closing the gates. Not because you want me to or not," she still told Anna.

"You'll be fine no matter what. I believe in you. Or at least I'm gonna start right now," Anna promised. "You sacrificed yourself for me, _way_ more than anyone should, way more than anyone deserves, way before I ever did for you. I just want to be worth it…."

"You've always been worth _everything_," Elsa said with all her heart. "Because you've always believed in me. Even when I locked the door," Elsa took in once again. "You're the only one who ever did."

It was true. Her parents were too afraid to do that, to say nothing of Elsa. But she was so devoid of belief in herself, she did anything to make them believe in her - no matter how impossible the task was. If she couldn't live up to their standards, what hope was there?

Yet as with all things that didn't seem to have hope, the answer was Anna.

Anna, who never demanded perfection or holding anything back – who only wanted Elsa. All of Elsa. As if that alone was really enough.

And it wasn't just Anna anymore. It was Olaf, who saw her as the kind of parent she herself lost so long ago. And it was Kristoff, who didn't just give her a head start, but sent her Olaf and let her have the space she needed today. And it was the people who had enough faith in her to outweigh any Van Garretts.

Did any of that really change, whether her parents believed in her that way or not?

She wanted their approval and their love – she always would. But maybe….she didn't _need _it anymore. Not when she had so much of it from other sources now. At least more than two of them.

But it would always be one that meant more. And not in the unhealthy way those two did.

Elsa had felt so hopeless moments ago, regardless of Anna's role in it. Yet all it took to make her believe, in _something _other than misery, was Anna.

Anna had felt bitter and cold moments ago, regardless of who was to blame. Yet it all took to make her feel sunshine, warmth and value again was Elsa's adoration, love and smile. And like that, everything else melted away – like it would whenever this happened again.

But Anna still had one grudge left to hold. "Don't think you're getting off easy for the hugs, though. You _really_ thought Kristoff could fill in for you?"

"I didn't think I had time to find Olaf," Elsa excused.

"Too bad, cause neither do I," Anna warned before hugging her tight. Then she broke off and hugged the last of Elsa's breath out, taking care of this morning's hug. "You know, if we can do hugs in advance now…." she figured.

Elsa tried to back away, but found no escape as Anna kept breaking off and hugging her in order. She backed away after the third hug enough to fall off the bench, but Anna just sat down on the floor with her. "Sorry, we gotta get the New Years hug off the books first! Just in case!" she teased.

Elsa couldn't even tell Anna to stop, since her hug attacks were too fast for her. She just dissolved into grunts, half no's, and even a little giggle or two. She even hugged Anna briefly just to throw her off track, but she came right back and took her right back down to the ground.

At that point, they both devolved into giggling and laughing. They didn't need hugs to feel closer by then, though.

Nevertheless, when Elsa sat up first and helped Anna do the same, Anna still hugged her left side – a real hug, not a game hug. Elsa returned it with a real one-armed hug of her own. It was the best she could do in this position without falling on her back. But it didn't have to be perfect for Anna.

Nothing ever did.

When they stopped looking at each other, they looked straight ahead and saw they weren't alone. The truth was, they hadn't been alone for most of this talk. They just weren't oblivious to the world around them now.

A world where Gaspar and Malin were standing and watching nearby. It made Elsa tighten her grip around Anna as a result.

It might have looked like she was protecting her from them, but that wasn't it. Not completely. She didn't want Anna to look at them and feel cold again – to go back to _then _from a few minutes ago – so she tried to pre-emptively fight it off. Like Anna would do for her.

Whatever this was, it would probably go better on their own two feet, though. So Elsa got herself and Anna up to face whatever came next. Together.

"There's only two things I can ask you," Gaspar began. "One….whatever bitterness you have towards me, please spare your mother. I made her a victim of all this too."

"Gaspar, you shouldn't…." Malin wasn't allowed to finish.

"No, I shouldn't have," Gaspar agreed for different reasons. "But I'm not keeping you from being a mother anymore. Whatever love they still have for any of us deserves to go to you."

"So you're giving up on getting it?" Anna asked.

"I'm not doing anything. Not until you tell me. That's the second thing," Gaspar answered.

"We're not following. I didn't ask Elsa, but I know we're both not getting it," Anna told him, and Elsa indeed couldn't argue.

"I've never gotten it. Not for 13 years. But that's because I never let you try and stop me," Gaspar theorized. "I never let any of you stop me. Many say kings, husbands and fathers aren't supposed to be challenged. They never met me."

Gaspar went to his daughters, then did what he hadn't done – at least as himself - since he was a boy. He knelt in submission, as thousands had once done for him.

"I am none of those things. I haven't had a right to call myself those things in years. And thus, I am no longer just _playing _a servant," Gaspar declared. "If you want me to leave you alone, I will. If you want me to stay, I will. Whatever our future is, it will _not _be decided by me. I finally ask _you_….please, tell me what you want to do. Let me do what _you _want for once….and forever…."

A King of Arendelle had never submitted his will to another ruler. A father may have never submitted his will to his daughters like this before – at least not this formally. But no King or father had ever been so lost before.

He was ready to submit to Anna and Elsa's will, no matter how vengeful it was. Or whatever doors it would shut forever.

But instead, he got this request from Elsa. "How about first things first….we all get up and take a tour?"


	22. The Tour

For the second time in under 24 hours, Anna, Kristoff, Gaspar and Malin were looking slack jawed at an icy chandelier on a roof. At the least, Gaspar and Malin were as close to slack jawed as they would allow. Anna and Kristoff had no such restraints, however.

"You and chandeliers….you two got the magic touch," Kristoff praised to Elsa.

"You wouldn't have said that if you saw it an hour ago," Elsa corrected. "I was tempted to just melt the remains. But fixing it passed more time."

"Fixing it? What…." Anna asked until it dawned on her. "Oh, wait….this is where they….?"

"That's right," Elsa confirmed. "The walls don't have spikes, and they're not changing colors. But this is the room where they….came to take me back to Arendelle seven months ago."

"And tried to kill you," Anna added.

"Perhaps this little tour should proceed somewhere else," Malin hoped.

"No. Brutal honesty, right?" Elsa repeated. "This is where Hans saved my life. And….probably saved my mind and my soul. Just so he could kill it all himself later."

"How did _that _work?" Gaspar asked. "If we have to face the Southern Isles later, these are things that….might be valuable to consider. For their sake. For the sake of people caring about their sake."

"It wasn't the Southern Isles who told me not to be a monster. It was just him," Elsa corrected. "The most shocking thing isn't that _he_ said it. Even with what we know now. It's that I listened. Between the Duke's men attacking me, being scared of myself again, knowing about the freeze….hurting and throwing out Anna….I should have given in right then."

"But you didn't. Not even then," Anna assured.

Elsa ignored her and left the room, heading out to another familiar area. When Anna followed, it soon became familiar to her too.

"Is that where you – I mean, where I?" she tried to sugarcoat for her family. Yet they could guess this was the area where Elsa struck Anna's heart soon enough.

"I did want to go back. For at least a second," Elsa answered. "I'd just made this place, then you came, then you said my powers were beautiful….and you brought Olaf," she reflected. "That one, brief window was the happiest I'd been in years. I really started to think I _could _have everything….everything I'd never stopped wanting. I _wanted _to go with you, but…."

Like last time, Elsa's window of happy thoughts gave way to bitter memories. "Then I remembered the incident. And then I wound up causing another one right here. Right in your heart this time. Then I just ran away again, then I almost murdered someone else. If not for _another_ attempted murderer, I would have."

"Only one of you tried to kill someone else after that," Gaspar said. "And it wasn't you."

"I tried everything not to _ever _try. And I tried everything before I ran away, each and every time. Except calm down," Elsa shared. "I didn't _want _to abandon Arendelle, or anyone. At least not to ruin."

"I know I'm not the best person to praise you for running away. Especially since I taught you how," Gaspar recalled. "But it sounds to me like when the winter started, you did exactly the right thing."

"Maybe we should go over the next part of this. Right now," Malin attempted to bail Gaspar out.

"It's not necessary. She couldn't stop the winter by running away," he said before going back to Elsa. "But it could have been worse if you didn't. You kept the people safe, or at least kept them from being less safe. You did exactly what you vowed to do hours earlier - protect and serve Arendelle. _They're _the ones who endangered it by bringing you back."

"Which they couldn't have done if I'd let _Anna_ bring me back first," Elsa nitpicked.

"And if you had the slightest faith in yourself, you would have," Anna offered.

"Of course I would!" Elsa confirmed. "Or maybe not. The freedom was still too tempting then."

"Obviously," Kristoff spoke up. "Can we put the self-loathing flashbacks aside for a sec and just….take this place in? I didn't get my fill the first time." He touched the ice walls all over as he gaped and continued, "Just a minute or a few hundred, then you can bash your pasts like usual."

"I think we can work with that," Malin breathed out, as she made her way to the ice palace balcony. "Look at the sun…."

"I know, right?" Anna chimed as she, Elsa and Gaspar went out. "Elsa, when you let go, you choose the best places."

"It wasn't like I planned the spot. Not in advance," Elsa said, more shy than self-loathing now. "Everything just came to me in a blur. Even my lyrics."

"The what?" Malin was briefly puzzled.

"The design, though…." Gaspar changed the subject, looking up at the outside of the castle. "Even our best architects couldn't dream this up. Not with years of planning. You said it came to you in minutes? How did you know enough to get such a clear, vivid picture in your head?"

"I….I guess I read just enough about castles and architecture. I had to read about _everything_, you know," Elsa reminded. "For various reasons."

"Whatever they are, keep them up!" Kristoff called from inside. "Hey, if someone realized he wanted to live in an ice cottage two months late….what's the return policy on old houses?"

"We can make Olafs's igloo bigger so you can sleep over there. Would that work?" Anna proposed. "Actually, that might be adorable enough to make some sense."

"Yeah, you're right. Might as well stick with the dry, wooden commitment you made," Kristoff back tracked. "Come on, let's might as well go on with the tour while we're at it!"

The next stop was actually a new one for Kristoff, Anna and her parents, as it just had a big bed of ice in the middle. "I had to add this today too. Once Olaf and Marshmallow tired me out," Elsa explained.

"You didn't have a bed the first time?" Malin questioned.

"If you didn't sleep the first time, did you bother to eat?" Gaspar asked next. "If you were going to stay here forever….how would you have gotten food at all? Or taken care of plumbing? At least there were toilets, room service, books and soft beds in _our_ castle."

"Freedom was tempting enough to….make me forget those details," Elsa reluctantly admitted.

"Ah, so the next time you lecture me for not thinking ahead, I can lecture back! Thanks for the permission!" Anna warned.

"Come on, you nitpick that bad, she won't let us jump on the ice bed," Kristoff objected. Elsa just rolled her eyes and snuck away from all of them and their nitpicking.

They still followed her to what looked like the next room, but it had nothing there at all. "What were you going to make in here?" Gaspar asked.

"Nothing specific. I only thought about it for a while the first time. But if Anna got here later….this might have become my ice sculpture room. To keep practicing my powers, if I still had the guts," Elsa revealed.

"Well, you have the guts for that now. I already know that much," Malin encouraged. "Go on, show them like you showed me."

"Mama…." Elsa felt somewhat embarrassed. "Those were snow sculptures last time."

"And I'm sure they'll look no less beautiful in ice," Malin assured. "Prove me wrong if you'd like."

Given how Malin wanted to suppress her powers again last night, this was a sudden reversal to take in. But after she thought she'd finally lost her daughters for good, she probably needed another reminder of the lost old days. Elsa let herself admit it wouldn't be so bad for her too.

So like she did in the Great Hall two weeks ago, she concentrated and made a replica of eight-year-old Elsa, and five-year-old Anna. In this case, they were in ice, and they were gawked at by people other than Malin.

"Is that…." Gaspar started, then finished with, "Oh, you were right, Malin. Your story _didn't _do it justice."

"Awww, I'm adorable! Told ya!" Anna bragged to Kristoff for some reason, then went over to her young ice self. "Hey there, me. Your future Mom and Dad might tell you not to jump off the kitchen sink when you're eight. But who are you gonna trust, future them or me? You know who."

She then looked at eight-year-old ice Elsa and gasped. "Aww….there's a face we haven't seen in a long time. Not with a smile, anyway." Elsa was a little grateful that she made a little joke about it – albeit a sadly true one.

"Wow, this is….just weird," Kristoff said as he admired the ice girls. If he thought that was weird….

Elsa ran with that thought before the window of opportunity closed, and made her next sculpture just in time. When Kristoff noticed it, he noticed how familiar it truly looked.

"No….way," he said, at a loss for much else after seeing himself as an ice sculpture. "You've gotta be….oh, if Sven could see me…." On that cue, Elsa made an ice Sven appear right next to ice Kristoff. "Close enough!"

Kristoff jumped on ice Sven as Elsa moved on to recreate another friend. Once an icy Olaf was finished, Anna squealed right on time. "Oh, wow! An ice man of a snowman! How cool is that?"

Malin tried to hold back a giggle at the unintentional pun, much like Elsa would. Even Gaspar visibly bit his lip to avoid encouraging her. Yet it encouraged Elsa just the same.

Gaspar and Malin stepped out of the way in time to see their icy selves rise from the ground. After the shock wore off, they were blown away anew when they looked closer.

Although they were still clinging to their Maurice and Idina looks in real life, their statues looked just like the real them – the old them from better years. They tried to look like that again two nights ago, but Elsa had more freedom to make them look exactly like they were then.

"It's _us_," Malin stated the obvious. Looking at the old Elsa and Anna again, she corrected, "It's _all _of us…."

"Wait, aren't we missing someone?" Kristoff bothered to notice somehow. "Where's grown up Anna to complete the set?"

"Um, that's okay! I can fill in for her just fine!" Anna insisted, proud that she wasn't too oblivious this time.

Of course Elsa wouldn't want to make a grown up Anna statue. Not after playing an _accidental _part in making the real thing seven months ago. Not after making one had traumatized her again months ago, as Anna saw in Elsa's room. She'd seen enough frozen Annas for one lifetime, let alone flesh and blood Anna's second.

For once, Elsa was on the same page with her right away. Especially since she started the process of making Anna freeze for real in this palace. If she'd know that immediately….she wished more than anything that she knew she would have come back then and there.

If Anna hadn't thawed, the last time Elsa would have seen her alive was here - when she made a giant snowman to throw her out. How horrible and fitting that would have been.

But then the ice thawed. She thawed. Everything thawed. And then….

Elsa closed her eyes and raised her hands as the memories and inspiration flooded. Then she opened up and saw a ghost.

An ice ghost she'd made to look exactly like Anna, seconds after she punched Hans. With her face smiling and her arms open, right before she wrapped them around Elsa for the second time that day - and second time in almost forever.

"Oh, look at that!" Anna squealed at her grown up ice sculpture. Gesturing to the younger one, she said, "See? You _do _stay cute after all! Elsa, I love it!"

But not as much as Elsa did.

She put her hands on ice Anna's face, despite how she wanted to cry herself to death – and do everything else to bring on death – the last time she did such a thing. But this ice Anna's face wasn't yelling or pleading for Elsa's life. This one was smiling.

When Elsa hugged Anna right after she thawed, she was too overjoyed to be scared – or to know what had happened or why. But the second time she hugged her, she was aware and knew her true power once and for all. Enough to actually reach out and start the hug – something she stopped dreaming of doing long ago, but never stopped wished she could.

_That,_ more than creating the ice palace, thawing Arendelle and the seven months afterwards, was the happiest moment of Elsa's life. And now she'd immortalized the best part of it. Where Anna was alive, reaching for her even after throwing that punch – and still loving her.

She _could _stand to make an ice Anna after all. At least one this happy.

Elsa's smile may have merely looked as wide as the ones from when she created the ice palace – as if the others would know. But as much of a milestone as it was to feel that way then, it hardly held up compared to this feeling right now.

"Should we….leave you two alone and continue the tour ourselves?" Kristoff offered Elsa and ice Anna.

"Like we know where to go without our guide! We're giving them as long as they need," real Anna laid down.

"No….no it's fine, I can still guide you," Elsa seemed to snap out of it. But her smile promptly returned as she announced, "In fact, I know just what to show you next!"

Anna and Kristoff tried to keep up with Elsa, yet Gaspar and Malin just stayed and watched. Although they risked letting Elsa out of their sight, the sight was too unreal for them to move.

They had forgotten what it was like to see Elsa smile like that, if they'd ever seen it. They hadn't seen her like that even in the good times this month, or the good times before she was eight. They were so used to seeing her scared, regal, blank faced, half-smiling or being 'reluctantly' swept up in Anna's whirlwind.

After so many years of seeing those unhappy, conflicted, emotionless and queenly looks on Elsa's face, seeing it look so….wide eyed, happy, proud, free of burden and filled with joy was so….infectious.

They couldn't stop smiling either. They cursed themselves anew for trying to stop the disease for so long.

Only then did they remember to follow her, and hope she was still just as contagious.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Max found the leader of the Southern Isles mercenaries, it took some convincing to make him send for everyone else. Those who'd escaped the palace with him last night had to lay low, and those who'd stayed behind couldn't afford to get caught now. Their force was still strong, but it was certainly weaker after last night's losses.

Still, when Max showed him his new satchel of gold – without telling him where he got it – and promised more would come if they all met together, it outweighed the other concerns. After all, Hans couldn't get gold to them in a matter of minutes.

Max and his partner found the furthest abandoned inn in Arendelle to meet, and soon they were met by the remaining men from the Southern Isles. At that point, all but one person thought that the meeting was full.

Max proved them wrong when he brought out his final guest.

"So where's the man that punched me?" Van Garrett asked the startled crowd. "Be sure to dock his share."

"We should dock _you _again!" his old attacker came forward. "And dock _him _while we're at it! You sold us out!" he accused Max as everyone else agreed.

"For good reason!" Max defended, showing a brief peek of his new satchel of gold. "He's got two even bigger bags like that, just for you people! You give me 20 percent of that cut, we can all profit!"

"Yes, but this isn't just about profit for all of you, is it?" Van Garrett was allowed to speak. "You're here on behalf of someone. A friend. A leader. Someone tarred and feathered unfairly by the powers that be. Leaving many, _many _things aside, I can understand that. And I've been forced into a position where I can help."

"_You_ help?" their leader scoffed. "Arendelle's sorcery almost destroyed Hans! Now we're supposed to get help from one of the Snow Queen's lackeys?"

"Not the help you came here for, no," Van Garrett warned. "I don't want our countries to go to war, and I don't want your friend Hans to rule us. I can't even help you try to commute his prison sentence. My political capital is dried up at this point."

"Well, this is the greatest pitch of all time. Do go on," a member of the audience urged sarcastically.

"What I can offer is this!" Van Garrett took Max's satchel and opened it up wider. "And bags more of it! And offer you another chance to pester Arendelle! One that will make an even greater impact than last night!"

"We hardly needed your help last night," their leader reminded.

"But it won't be easy getting back in the castle now. Not without me," Van Garrett threatened. "I can keep you hidden until the right time, at the right moment. Then if all goes well, you'll be allowed to leave with a fortune, and the knowledge that you brought hope back to two lands. If not more."

"Hold on, we're just supposed to mess things up around here," Van Garrett's attacker stated. "Hans wanted us to weaken them from the inside, so _he_ can mess up their outsides when he got out."

"Hans wants a lot of things. He wanted the throne, he wanted to outshine his brothers, and he wanted to both kill and marry into royalty," Van Garrett listed. "I can't give him any of that. I don't particularly want to. But if you do what I say and do it right, you'll not only get paid….you'll give him something else we all know he wants just as much."

"What's that?" their leader seemed interested in knowing now. As such, Van Garrett didn't hesitate to tell him.

"The Snow Queen off the throne of Arendelle."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The royal family and Kristoff came back down the staircase, with smiles on all their lips and laughter still tinged on some of them too.

"If Elsa figures out the whole plumbing and food problem, we gotta come here more," Anna offered. "Maybe stay a night or two."

"Can people other than snow queens and ice harvesters stay in the cold for that long?" Malin pondered. "I don't know how those ice beds would help anyone else."

"I didn't get to last more than a day," Elsa reminded. "You'd be better off asking Kristoff."

"Oh, you'd be fine," Kristoff assured. "But I guess we gotta test it another time, huh?" he resigned himself.

"Come on, we can stay a little longer, right?" Anna asked. "So what if we keep Van Garrett waiting? We're letting him off easy enough, what difference does it make?"

"Is he waiting for something in particular?" Elsa caught on. "If he closed the gates while we were gone, he knows I'll just put them back up. He's not that foolish."

"That….might not be his top concern right now," Malin remembered.

"And what might be?" Elsa started getting very concerned.

Anna sighed and bit the bullet. "Okay, I only _heard_ this from them, all right? But they said….he figured out who they really are before they left. Maybe I should have told you when we got here, but that's all I messed up, I swear!"

"_Is _that all?" Elsa asked her parents, who didn't deny it. "He knows you're really the King and Queen. The King and Queen he's worshipped for 21 years. A _lot _more than he worships me. And now he knows you're eligible to take the throne?!"

"He knows we don't want it too!" Malin said before Elsa really got worried. "We told him so ourselves! Anna didn't know that, but that's what we did! I was _very _clear on it!"

"But he offered you the job first?" Elsa inquired. "That means he wants me off the throne….and you left Arendelle defenseless to him for hours! I know I left it defenseless first, but…." She groaned and lamented, "I guess expecting anything different for _one _trip here _was _too much! At least this time _I _can fix it!"

Elsa started to march to the door, but was stopped by her father's voice. "You don't have to do that, Elsa. Not yet. Please."

"What?" Elsa turned in surprise. "Why would you ask something like that? If he knows who you are, who knows what he's going to do?"

"He won't do anything until we get back and talk to him," Gaspar told her. "No matter when that is. Regardless of how he feels about you, he loves us too much to defy us. So he'll keep quiet because we wanted him to."

"How can you be so sure?" Elsa questioned. "I know the Van Garrett of today more than you do! So how can you be more sure about him than me?"

"I'm sure of what happens when we get back," Gaspar answered. "We reveal ourselves to the rest of Arendelle, one way or another. And then….days like today won't happen again for a long time. If ever."

"He's right," Malin realized. "This last hour or two….it was the best time we've had together in 13 years. _All _of us together. And who knows when we'll get to top it? We all know how fast things can change. Why hurry it up more than we have to?"

"What if we _have _to?" Elsa pressed. "Brushing aside a potential threat….that's just not you."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Malin retorted.

"You put a threat aside for eight years once. Look how that came back on all of us," Elsa reminded. "We should all know better now."

"We do. That's why we want to stay," Gaspar replied. "We're not staying for good. We _are _going back, and we _will _straighten Tomas and everything else out. But we don't have to right this second. We can still…."

"If you wanna ask her to build a snowman, I don't know how much that'll help," Anna pitched in.

"It doesn't have to be a snowman," Gaspar unknowingly echoed anyway. "It just…."

"I think this is what you mean," Malin guessed. "When we go back, no matter how things turn out….we'll be the King and Queen of Arendelle again. Even when we turn down the throne. To the country, to the castle, the King and Queen is still all we'll ever be. We accepted that a long time ago….but that was before we could just be a mother and father again. Be a husband and wife again."

"We finally got _some _of it right just now, and now it's too late," Gaspar backed up. "We can still be those things, but it won't be the same. And it won't be as often. And we've….we've accepted that and so many other cruel things too many times!"

"Van Garrett will keep," Malin promised. "He can wait an extra hour or two. Until then, can't we be….just a mother and father first, one last time? One last _first _time? We've all wanted it for far too long, so let's just _do _it! If only one time for one more hour!"

"Okay, I can't be objective now," Anna warned. "Kristoff, if anyone's gonna agree with Elsa, it's gonna have to be you!"

"You want me to say we should leave this place? On purpose?" Kristoff said incredulously, but then sighed. "Something tells me I probably should, though." He then thought over, "So do I go against my girlfriend's parents, or her queen sister? Ooh boy….can I pass my vote on to Marshmallow?"

"No one's getting votes," Gaspar cleared up. "We pressured Elsa enough. This is _her _decision. If we're going to start putting her wishes first, it'll have to start now. It's up to you."

So _now _they were letting her make her own choices. _Now _they were trying to be parents first. _Now _they'd stopped putting Arendelle first above family. And here they were, putting Elsa in a position to help make another questionable decision.

Yet they weren't pressing her, or making her keep loved ones away from her. They wanted her to let them in. To let them spend time as just a family, before Arendelle consumed all of them again.

Through all this month and this whole 'spend time with one parent a week' plan, today was the most time the four of them had spent together in 13 years. By some cosmic joke, they'd done it just after their greatest fight - and before they'd have to be the _royal _family again and little more.

There was a time they were more than that. It died years ago. Even after this month, there was no guarantee it would be revived. Not to the way it was – the way Elsa had missed for so long.

_Elsa, we were so close. We can be like that again_.

Fear and guilt stopped Elsa from taking Anna's offer last time in this palace. Taking it for just a little while wouldn't make up for it. But if she couldn't at least try now….

And after the way Van Garrett had been last night – and apparently this morning too – he could afford to squirm and wait.

"One hour. An hour and 15 minutes, tops," Elsa conceded. "And we _need_ to be off this mountain by sunset."

"Deal!" Anna let herself cheer, as Gaspar and Malin showed relief and Kristoff was just glad it was over. Elsa even let herself start to like her decision too.

However, Anna gave her a feeling of dread – but not an unpleasant one – when she added, "If that's all we got….then we'd better ready the snowmen, huh?"


	23. Family Time

**My thanks once again to all of you for reading this far and for your endurance, since this is now only the third Frozen fic here to go over 100,000 words. By the end, this should become the longest fic in Frozen history, just to warn you further.**

The North Mountain had once again been transformed. In this case, Elsa had created 12 foot tall walls of snow on each side of the mountain, so no one would fall off it. It was also a handy prop for the little game Anna had come up with.

Kristoff and Sven were standing below the castle and ice bridge, and were against the new right snow wall of the mountain. Gaspar and Malin were facing them, with Marshmallow trying to look more intimidating than usual – and ironically failing since he was acting too hard. Yet everyone else tried to stay in character anyway.

"How are we supposed to start this again?" Gaspar checked with Malin.

"I think I've got it," Malin hoped, then started to broadly act as Anna instructed. "Reindeer kings! You have defied our rule one too many times! Now you shall pay the ultimate price! Ha ha ha," she spoke instead of outright laughing.

"Come on, do the evil laugh! Sell it!" Anna called out from the ice bridge.

"I really don't think anyone in real life laughs like that! Even Hans didn't, from what you told me!" Malin called back out.

"I think we passed the limits of reality long, _long _ago," Gaspar gestured to Marshmallow. "So….ha ha ha! Prepare yourselves for obliteration!"

"Um...never?" Kristoff responded as himself. However, he made Sven sound much more forceful in saying "Never!" as him.

"So be it, reindeer king and talking reindeer," Malin tried to wrap her mind around that. "Giant snowman, arm yourself!"

Marshmallow scooped up a giant snowball and took aim at Kristoff and Sven – who were now truly hoping that Gaspar and Malin wouldn't deviate from the script. Just because Anna didn't bury him yet for keeping quiet about Elsa's trip, it didn't mean her parents wouldn't.

"Ready! Aim!" Gaspar announced as Marshmallow wound up to throw. "Fire!"

"Wait, what's that! That's your cue to look up and say what's that!" Kristoff pointed up. Thankfully, the next part of the game had indeed started on time.

Gaspar, Malin and Marshmallow looked up to see dozens of snowballs flying in the air, heading in their direction. "What's that? Where did it come from?" Malin pretended that she didn't know, since her character didn't.

"Look!" Gaspar turned and pointed at the ice palace – where a lone figure was faintly seen on the balcony. "It's the Snow Queen! She's come to rescue her – " A snowball fell right on his head before he could explain further.

On that cue, several more snowballs flew down and struck the Snow Queen's parents. Several more flew around Marshmallow, but they didn't have any effect on him. Nevertheless, he still tried to use his giant snowball to deflect them.

Two of them got by, however – and right into his open eye sockets. "Get out my head!" Marshmallow called, shaking his head furiously as the snowballs flew around in his skull. Finally he hit his own head against the giant snowball to get his head clear, but only knocked himself out instead – or at least pretended to.

Marshmallow fell down, dropping the snowball on his chest. Still, this was the cue Elsa needed to melt the snowballs inside his head. Gaspar and Malin were still on their feet, though, yet Marshmallow's fall distracted them enough.

"Reinforcements!" they heard the call of their other daughter, charging down the ice bridge towards them.

With a snowball in hand, Anna took aim to throw it at them. Yet when she got close enough, she ducked down and Olaf jumped into view and over her – flying right at Gaspar.

He had a snowball in his hand too, which he threw directly at Gaspar. It got right on his face before Olaf embraced him and brought him down to the ground.

"Hi, Peepaw! I defeated you like Anna said I could!" Olaf cheered, then tried to wipe Gaspar's eyes clear of the snow. "Okay, don't go blind until you see this part, all right?"

Gaspar cleared his eyes to see Anna and Kristoff standing over him with snowballs. "Well, so much for your plan to seize the reindeer kingdom, eh?" Anna bragged.

"Actually….we came to a little understanding over that," Kristoff said on cue, going over to Gaspar and helping him up. "Our kingdoms joining together against yours? Luring you here into our trap? It wasn't a bad way to let him have it."

"What? You traitor!" Anna yelled.

"Remind me why I have to be the traitor again?" Kristoff dropped character.

"So you'll know better than to do it in real life. And do other things too," Anna reminded.

"What makes you think there'll be other things now?" Gaspar acted as he, Kristoff and Sven banded together. "With you as our prisoner, the Snow Queen will be useless and outnumbered!"

"Maybe I will!" they heard a new voice coming from the ice bridge. Through all this, Elsa had found time to leave the castle and join in.

"Maybe capturing her will neutralize one Snow Queen. Maybe you have the advantage in traitors," Elsa announced. "Or maybe…."

On that cue, Malin suddenly raised her hands with a flourish, like Elsa would. That didn't do anything – but when Elsa made the giant snowball on Marshmallow rise up and fly towards Gaspar, it sure looked like it.

"You?" Gaspar gasped. "My own Queen….you're a Snow Queen too? And you're with them?!"

"You take my love, I take yours. At least my traitor ex wasn't smart enough to get snow powers first," Anna bragged.

"Okay, I get to be the _smart _traitor next game, all right?" Kristoff objected.

"You'll still have nothing on her," Gaspar pretended to lament. "My own wife….I knew time and tragedy tore us apart, but – "

Elsa stopped him by dropping the giant snowball right next to him – although Malin was late in pretending it was her. "Oh! Um, that was a warning!" she recovered. "I have more where that came from! And I have the perfect fort to do it from!"

Malin raised her hands before Elsa could actually do the magic this time, yet she got back into sync. In fact, she made the snowball rise back up and drop in front of her, Malin, Anna and Olaf, then had it break apart. Once there was just a big pile of snow, Elsa made it rise up – in tune with Malin's hand gestures – to make a full on fort.

"Well, I sure let someone make me choose the wrong side," Kristoff responded. "They got 'two' Snow Queens and a bunch of snow, and we got…." Once he had the answer, he rushed over to it. "Oh, Marshmallow! Your aunt's boyfriend would like you to make a fort for us!"

"Okay!" Marshmallow agreed, getting back up and marching to the still overwhelmed Gaspar and Sven. Yet they stood back while Marshmallow stacked and gathered up a big pile of snow, making a fort that almost rivaled Elsa/Malin's. In fact, with his height advantage, Marshmallow was able to make it taller.

"All right, when you passed on warm hugs and love to Olaf, it was cute. Passing on...that stuff to your other kid? Big step down," Anna criticized.

"Now what'll we do? I didn't turn on my big little brother, Peepaw and the Sven's cause I thought we'd lose!" Olaf exclaimed.

"Then we won't," Malin announced, holding up her hands.

Elsa took a second to make snowflakes dance on them. But when she did, Malin finished, "Instead….we'll go ahead and start the war."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With the Queen, Princess, Prime Minister and….Maurice and Idina gone, the castle had to run itself all day. The other council and government officials performed their tasks while avoiding the people and their questions – which were thankfully only about the Queen and Princess. The staff also kept going as normal despite having no one to serve.

It was also in spite of the rumors that there'd been royalty among them for a month. Presumed dead royalty, no less.

Kai and Gerda also spent the day dodging questions from 'Maurice and Idina's' co-workers. It was a no win scenario for them – either they denied it was them and looked like liars or fools later, or confirmed it before the King and Queen could explain themselves. Which they'd have no choice to as soon as they got back.

But until then, their most loyal servants and temporary bosses would stay liars and fools. It didn't mean it wasn't exhausting, though – even on a light day of work.

Kai finally got some time to himself, as unfamiliar as that usually was. Nevertheless, the halls were bare and nothing seemed to be going on. But when he made the turn to the next hall, he saw something moving on the faraway walls.

In fact, the wall appeared to be opening. It wasn't completely weird, given that some were designed to do that. But this wall was only supposed to open for people leaving Arendelle – in an emergency.

Instead, someone had opened the passageway to come back in.

Kai hid from sight as the mystery figure emerged, closed the passageway and checked to see if anyone else was there. He was too far away to see Kai – yet the brief glimpse Kai got of him was clear and rather troubling enough.

If that was indeed Prime Minister Van Garrett.

Whoever it was, he was walking down the hall and was soon out of sight. Taking advantage, Kai headed down to the book case that triggered the open secret door. If he was going to get answers, this seemed like a more reliable way than just asking the Prime Minister.

Regardless of how Kai might not like the answers either way. It was funny how he got a little chill, despite how Queen Elsa was long gone.

Either way, Kai tugged on the right book and got the wall to open, then made his way down the secret tunnels. He didn't know what he was looking for or how to find it, though. Anything suspicious that might explain why the Prime Minister was out all day, and why he had to come in through these tunnels, would have to do.

Kai soon got to the divide in the tunnels, deciding not to go down the one out of Arendelle. He'd try the other one, which had three doors to three rooms – one for weapons, one with foods and supplies, and one big war room.

The weapons room looked lighter than Kai remembered. The supply room had no extra guard uniforms left. When Kai got to the end of the tunnel and to the war room door, he prepared himself for the worst.

Even that wasn't enough to prepare for the more than two dozen men inside. Or for how they were all dressed like royal guards, but clearly weren't. Or for how he'd seen a few of those men last night….in the Great Hall while it was under siege.

For added insult, he wasn't ready for the blow to the back of his head either.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gaspar opened his eyes to see Malin standing over him, with a snowball locked in her hand. He briefly looked back at the carnage of the snowball fight, but it was too much.

"You fought bravely, powerless husband. Even after your snowman couldn't fight his own mother anymore," Malin credited. "But now it's over."

"Indeed," Gaspar sighed. "I suppose it's too late to ask for mercy."

"You always did give up so easy," Malin taunted as she leaned down, hovering the snowball over his head. "But it's all for the best now."

"Maybe," Gaspar admitted. "Or this time, maybe not."

Before Malin could do anything, Gaspar took her free hand and leaned up to kiss his wife – in character and as himself.

"Awww! Meemaw and Peepaw's characters are kissing! Good for them!" Olaf cheered.

"It's not just them…." Anna almost cried. "I don't get why I feel kinda….grossed out too, though."

Elsa had no verbal answer, as she let her next action speak for her. Hopefully they'd notice it not long after they stopped kissing. But it took about three seconds before Elsa had to show them herself.

"Will you look at her hand?" Elsa pointed. "There's no snowball left in it. That means….it's the act of true love. His kiss thawed a frozen heart and melted her powers!"

"It did?" Gaspar looked surprised, but Malin's little smile told him to go with it. "Oh, yes, well that it did!"

"Wait, the act of true love melted all her powers away?" Kristoff recollected. "When did they start doing that?"

"Well….acts of family true love unfreeze people! Acts of romantic true love make them powerless! Right?" Anna checked with Elsa. "Kinda seems like a mixed message, though. Ours was a lot more clear cut."

"Okay, it melted the part of her that wants to throw snowballs, all right? Sorry if I'm not a happy ending expert like you just yet," Elsa almost pouted. "I'm still new at believing in them, much less making one up."

"I think you got the timing right in any case," Malin stood straight up and turned around. When Gaspar looked over as well, he started to see her point.

Gaspar got on his feet and followed Malin past the wrecked forts, piles of snow, Sven playing dead and Marshmallow still catching his breath. By the time Anna, Elsa and Olaf got their idea and Kristoff finished clearing the snow from his ears, the former King and Queen were on the ice bridge, watching the sun set behind the mountains.

Elsa had warned them they had to leave before sunset. But since she couldn't budge now, she could hardly enforce this rule on the others.

"You never saw this before, did you?" Anna asked her. "Did they get you before sunset last time? Or were you too worried about….other stuff to watch?"

"Whatever it was, there's no other stuff now," Elsa tried to dismiss. Fortunately, Anna got the point and stopped sorting out a more unpleasant timeline. She much preferred this one anyway.

"This is a sunset fit for a Queen. Even two," Elsa gestured to Malin. "Melted powers or not."

"Right. It looks like I'm the Queen you mean," Malin figured, brushing aside how she didn't feel like the Queen today. And how relieving that felt. And how there were people back in Arendelle who probably wouldn't care.

"You are. You're just missing one more thing," Elsa reasoned, leaving the bridge to head for her more gigantic, exhausted snow son.

"Marshmallow? You fought the good fight, and you knew which side to fight for in the end," Elsa praised. "I want to give you something to honor that. But….I'm gonna need to take something back first."

"What, Mama?" Marshmallow asked – the last word causing the rest of the family to bite their quivering lips.

Marshmallow was on his knees, so Elsa could reach over to his head and take his tiara. A.K.A. her old tiara – which was her mother's old tiara first. Before Marshmallow could object, Elsa took off the cape of ice gems she'd managed to keep on since the ball.

Yet once she made the collar long enough, she could tie it around Marshmallow's neck and give him a new look. "There. I'm the only one who ever wore this, unlike the tiara. Now you can really say you look just like your mother," Elsa explained.

Marshmallow got to his feet and played around with his new cape. However, it really looked more like a scarf around his neck. Still, he struck a heroic pose and seemed to love his new clothing.

Elsa walked back to the bridge, holding her tiara for the first time in seven months. Yet she only kept it for seven more seconds before taking it off again – handing it to Malin in lue of throwing it to Marshmallow knows where.

"So _you _don't want to look just like your mother?" Malin asked.

"When the bar is set too high, you know when to cut your losses," Elsa explained, taking the tiara back from Malin so she could set it on her head.

As Malin let the feeling fill her like an old, lost long friend, Elsa still qualified, "You'll have to take it off when we get back to Arendelle. At least until we're ready to show you off to the public. The real you."

"I have more recent experience wearing this than showing them that," Malin reminded. "Being myself….o_urselves_, without hiding from _a single_ person in the world….you're far more experienced at that than we are now. As always since we got back, we'll be learning the ropes from you and Anna."

"Well, here's what I know," Anna started. "If Mama's the only one with a crown, Papa's gonna look weird. We'll need to find his old one when we get back."

"Or…." Elsa felt inspired to say. And to create a crown made of ice that settled on her bare hands. "If this isn't too cold for you….I mean, until we –"

"No," Gaspar interrupted, taking the crown before Elsa took it the wrong way. Settling it on his head, he hissed a bit from the cold, but didn't seem bothered before long. "I needed something new for a new era anyway."

"So you get to wear something new and symbolic, and I don't?" Malin nitpicked.

"Your tiara was passed down from a giant snowman. No symbolism can stand up to that," Gaspar figured.

"Well, that's getting close," Anna brought their attention back to the fading sun, as the sky officially started falling asleep.

The newly re-crowned Gaspar and Malin huddled together to watch the darkening sky, with Anna brushing Kristoff clean before bringing him along, and Elsa putting herself between Anna and Gaspar. Olaf knew to keep quiet and stand between Anna and Elsa, which said it all.

"I gave up dreaming about any of this when we got here. And now…." Anna sighed in both sadness and joy. Elsa understood enough to crumble the walls of snow on the mountain, now that they wouldn't be needed anymore.

"Elsa, I take it back," Anna followed up. "I think we're good to go home now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kai woke up to the bright lights of the supply room. Not to mention a headache and a lack of freedom to move around.

The lack of movement was due to being tied down in a chair. The cause of the headache was soon easy to remember. The men responsible – and where they came from – was the next distressing thing to remember.

But the realization of who might be helping them took the cake. Especially when he appeared right in front of him.

"You knew. You had to know," Van Garrett started. "You had to know it was them when they joined your staff. And she made you say nothing."

"I think you need to say some things right now, Mr. Prime Minister," Kai barely remembered to be formal again. "Concerning your ties with those….men back there." Frowning deeper, and not just because of the headache, he asked, "Did you….hire them to attack the ball?"

"Of course not! What do you take me for?" Van Garrett huffed.

"It depends on what you're hiring them for now, I suppose," Kai retorted.

"They're a last resort, nothing more. If she releases the King and Queen from her control, I won't need them. In fact, the King and Queen's first act back on the throne can be to arrest them!" Van Garrett proclaimed. "Eliminating two threats to Arendelle on their first night back. What a perfect start to our new age."

"What are you talking about?" Kai asked incredulously. "It sounds very much like treason so far."

"So does concealing our true rulers from us. But I forgive you. As long as you stay here until it's done," Van Garrett offered.

"Queen Elsa is our true ruler!" Kai announced. "If you're plotting against her, you need to stop!"

"Don't you see? I can't!" Van Garrett actually appeared to plead. "Do you think this is what I _want _to do? I know I'm throwing my life away, but I only _have _a life because of them! I cannot…._will _not thank them by abandoning them, and Arendelle, to her."

"What _exactly _do you think is going on here?" Kai struggled to understand. Or struggled to accept what he understood so far.

"The King and Queen locked Arendelle and themselves away because of her. They knew her best, and they _knew _she was a threat. They saved us all from her every day….and now you're telling me they _want _her unleashed and on the throne?" Van Garrett couldn't believe. "Not them! Not the people who protected and saved Arendelle! Not under their own free will!"

"She was never a threat to them. She _is _their daughter," Kai defended. "It broke their hearts every day to do what they did. It still breaks their hearts today. Because they know what they did was….the most well intentioned, cruel thing possible."

Yet what Kai said topped it. At least for Van Garrett.

"Don't you say that!" he snapped. "Don't you believe the lies! They did what was _right_! If they did it, it had to be! She's twisting their undeserved guilt to twist their minds as we speak, and she'll take Arendelle down with her! I will not let these good people suffer for_ her_ curse any longer! And if _you _will…."

"She's not cursed. The only reason she thought she was is because she….and _they_….feared people like _you_," Kai insisted. "They're not that afraid anymore."

"Two of them don't deserve to be anymore," Van Garrett said with no understanding. "I'll show them that. Then they'll break free from her on their own. All they need is someone to believe in who they _really _are. Then this last resort won't be necessary."

"And then your new friends will squeal on your treason anyway. You're destroying your life for _nothing,_" Kai pointed out.

"I hardly consider repaying my debt and saving Arendelle _nothing_. I'm sorry you do," Van Garrett promised. "But I promise I'll tell them where you are when it's done."

"You'll tell them now! When they get back, you'll tell them everything and leave them alone!" Kai demanded, forgetting his place – though not as severely as Van Garrett forgot his. "They've suffered enough!"

"That they have," Van Garrett again agreed without truly agreeing with him. "One way or another, her crimes against them will end. Until then…."

Van Garrett took out a scarf large enough to tie around Kai's head and cover up his mouth. He still tried to scream anyway, in spite of how no one helpful could hear him.

Nevertheless, Van Garrett gave him another blow to the back of the head to quiet him down. All stayed quiet as he left and locked the room, then went down the tunnels and snuck back into the castle.

It was well past sundown, and the royal family might be back at any minute, or hours from now. His 'friends' would be in position either way, so that angle was taken care of. He assured them Kai wouldn't be a problem after they tied him and locked him up, so that wouldn't screw anything up.

Now Van Garrett just had to set up the plan he actually _wanted _to work.

"Kai's gone home for the day," he told the nearest staff member. "You've all waited around long enough, so you should go too. After you spread the word. I want every man, woman and child of Arendelle at the courtyard, to welcome our rulers home."


	24. Welcome Home

Somehow, Kristoff's sled was still intact – and everyone's bones were still intact after Marshmallow's farewell hugs. In any case, everyone and everything was intact as they rode down the North Mountain and back towards Arendelle.

Some things that were broken beyond repair hours ago were relatively intact again too.

Olaf had to ride on Sven so there'd be room for Kristoff and the human royal family. Elsa was in back with her parents, while Anna and Kristoff were in front.

"You took to being a ruthless ice queen….rather well," Elsa tried to tease Malin.

"I have more than just book smarts, Elsa," Malin lightly bragged. "You should have seen me around one of your father's….less subtle prospects decades ago."

"That's when I knew I never wanted to provoke her," Gaspar added. "The council finally learned this lesson about a year after the wedding."

"Really?" Elsa asked. "It sounds like….a story I wasn't old enough to hear when I was eight."

"You're barely old enough now, technically," Malin warned. "To say nothing of your sister. But with all the stories we never got to tell you, for one reason or another….I suppose we can't spare a single one."

"I never got to be that father. The one who kept spinning yarns about the good old days," Gaspar said. "I kept telling them in my head just to keep myself sane most nights. It hurt more than it helped on the worst ones."

Shaking his head, he corrected, "You know what? I'm new at just focusing on happy memories. Why don't I master that skill and give some old ones a rest?"

"It gets easier after a while, Papa," Elsa vowed. "No matter how much it looks like it won't. With the right support, it really looks different."

"You're the expert on these things. And many, many others," Gaspar reflected. "More than we ever were." While he wasn't more specific on these things, Elsa could make a few assumptions – each of which made it harder for her to control her smile.

In front, Kristoff felt daring enough to point out something to Anna. "So! The tour, the games, the bonding, the….lack of biting heads off? It might not have happened if I told you Elsa ran away right away. Are you glad we don't have to find out?"

"Even I can't be glad about everything," Anna still said. "Glad about more things than I was before this trip? Yeah. Glad about more things than I was this whole month? Pretty close. But you got a ways to go before you get _really _good at half baked ideas."

"We can't all be you the first time, I guess," Kristoff attempted to suck up.

"See, you're learning already," Anna kidding, although she took a less kidding tone afterwards. "I guess that's what we're all doing." Sighing, she asked, "I hated learning enough at school! When do we get to skip ahead and be a perfect family again? Haven't we earned it _yet_?"

"Well, you skipped ahead today more than usual. That's gotta feel better than….skipping backwards. However that'd work," Kristoff briefly got puzzled.

"It _does_ feel better. At least once it stops feeling good to yell at them," Anna admitted. "It _really _doesn't feel good when it wears off. But we stopped playing a while ago, and that _still_ feels…." She let out her dreamy, closed eyed Anna sigh that told Kristoff she was a-ok.

Still, she tried to sound composed and even like Elsa – without being quite as convincing – and told Kristoff, "So I suppose we can call it a draw." Yet she broke enough to kiss Kristoff on the cheek. To his credit, he kept quiet, merely smiled and took it as a win.

With that out of the way, Anna fully reverted back to normal by squeaking, "Did you see how they kicked butt at snowballs? I'll bet you heard it well enough! Or maybe not! I forgot how much fun they are when they aren't so….stuffy!"

"Guess it runs in the family after all," Kristoff replied.

"In all of them but me. Weird," Anna admitted. "I guess I gotta stick around them to figure that out. And for some other things."

Anna got quiet, yet the way she looked back at Elsa and their parents every few minutes spoke volumes. Especially since they looked more content together every time she peeked. Finally she spoke out loud to ask, "Elsa? Maybe you'd like to sit up front for a while? I don't think you thanked Kristoff for his help yet."

"You'd really like me to do that _now_?" Elsa asked with the most diplomacy she had.

"Actually, that might be for the best," Gaspar defended. "Considering how our last sled ride went, this is a welcome change of pace already. I'd like to see it through."

Elsa took a while to get it, but when she did, she had to give in. "Very well. Let's pull over."

Sven soon stopped, grateful for the break and for Olaf not bouncing on him as much. Anna and Elsa got out and switched seats, putting Sven's break at an end. Kristoff's uneasiness was back, though, with Elsa now sitting next to him.

"So….I followed your instructions. And got some….interesting reactions from it," Kristoff danced around.

"And you still followed them. You even added a very special one of your own," Elsa gestured to Olaf. "I couldn't have said what I said to them that….clearly, without him. Or you," she praised. "Now I'm 80 percent sure I'll say yes when you ask me for something….important."

"Like what? A raise?" Kristoff failed to get. "I don't need much. Unless the price of ice houses are high."

"Just remember that when you ask me. I know I will. Along with everything else you did today," Elsa assured, holding his hand in thanks – even when he exhaled from the cold.

In back, Ana looked back and forth at her parents and took her own leap. "I'm not sorry for being mad at you," she started anyway.

"We wouldn't want you to be," Gaspar confessed.

"But if you're _really _gonna make an effort to stop….your usual mistakes….I'm gonna try too," Anna promised. "I should try no matter what."

"We have faith in you either way," Malin said. "It's nice to have faith in your children."

"I'd like to believe it goes both ways," Anna replied. "I know it did once. I'd really like to be sure again."

Any replies or promises her parents had were caught in their throats, once Anna took their hands. Anything other than squeezing back seemed useless by then.

Anna kept holding their hands as she laid her head back and looked at the stars. "Wow. When you're not getting chased by wolves or freezing to death, riding through here is really beautiful," she proclaimed.

Gaspar and Malin knew better than to ruin the mood by lingering on the first part. Just barely.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After Anna and Elsa switched seats again, they found themselves near Arendelle soon enough. Gaspar and Malin took off their new and old crowns, in case other people were still awake. But it was late enough, they figured they could reveal everything tomorrow after some much needed sleep.

Yet when they got into town, they saw that more than a few people were still awake.

"It's the Queen and Princess! At last!" a citizen yelled, to which the large crowd either cheered, sighed in relief or both.

"Hey," Anna said awkwardly. "What's with the waiting up for us? We came back as soon as we could this time! Give or take an hour."

"We knew you'd explain everything when you got back, Your Highness," another woman informed her. "But the Prime Minister said we couldn't wait until morning to hear it."

"He did, did he?" Elsa responded, the frost in her voice clear. "Who else did he tell?"

"Apparently everyone, Your Majesty," the first man answered. "That's why we're all the way in the back. Since we don't live close enough to the courtyard."

"The courtyard?" Elsa focused on.

"On it," Kristoff quickly agreed, getting them through the throngs of confused, cold Arendellians as soon as possible.

When the ride ended, Kristoff had Sven and the sled stop right in the courtyard – which was already filled up with every kind of Arendelle resident. But there was enough room for Van Garrett to stand alone in front of the fountain.

"Welcome home, Your Majesty," he greeted.

"Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister," Elsa tried to stay formal as long as she could. At least in this public place. The fact he actually called her "Your Majesty" for once was the least he could do to help.

"I wasn't talking to you. Elsa," he did much less. "I was talking to the rightful rulers of Arendelle."

A murmur went through the crowd and traces of frost went on the sled, as Van Garrett approached it. Or rather, approached those in back of it. "Come now. You're among friends," he told Gaspar and Malin. "There's no need to hide anymore."

"We weren't planning to hide anymore," Gaspar whispered. "We weren't planning to come out like _this_ either. Tomas, what are you thinking?"

"There's no need for fear!" Van Garrett said out loud. "You won't be harmed in such a public place! And the public deserves to know who walks among them once more! Even the sea and the supernatural couldn't keep them away! Nothing ever will again!"

"Mr. Prime Minister!" Elsa rose up, determined to take back control before everyone lost theirs. "This is a matter best discussed behind closed doors!"

"Oh, that was the wrong choice of words," Anna lamented. "If _I _know that…."

"Exactly," Van Garrett agreed. "Now that we know open doors don't apply to you after all…."

"Enough!" Malin objected. "If it'll make you be quiet faster, then fine! Let's get this over with and salvage _some_ sanity from it."

Malin got out of the sled, and Gaspar saw no choice but to follow her. Elsa couldn't think of anything to stop them, and didn't trust herself to do anything near Van Garrett. Anna panicked and almost said "Mama" but stopped herself before giving her away too soon.

"Meemaw? Peepaw?" Olaf didn't censor himself as well. "What's going on?"

"Yes," Gaspar answered. "If you think about him and his….full family tree….you all might understand early."

Some tried to work it out, but Gaspar and Malin removed their wigs and other parts of their disguises too quickly. When they were off, they went back to the sled before too many people got a good look. A few who did murmured in disbelief about what they thought they saw – but couldn't possibly have seen.

When Malin fully showed herself, with her natural hair color exposed and her tiara back on her head, everyone saw it clearer. And struggled to understand even more. But when Gaspar fully showed himself, fully crowned – even with a new crown of ice – the puzzle was complete.

Many raised their voices. A few even yelled about ghosts, since anything was possible in Arendelle now. More just yelled that it was the King and Queen, helping to spread word beyond the courtyard. As it did, more and more people rushed for a better look, and couldn't believe it when they got it.

"Do not be afraid!" Van Garrett commanded as the reactions got louder. "They are not the ones to fear!"

"And Elsa is? Is that what you're getting at?!" Anna accused.

"She had a month to tell us that our King and Queen were alive!" Van Garrett called out. "Instead, they've been reduced to her own personal servants! Do you deny that's what they've been doing?"

"No, but that was their idea!" Anna replied. "They wanted to serve us, and you know it!"

"And did they want to serve you the moment they got back?" Van Garrett asked. "Was it really their plan all along? Or did they get forced into it? Out of manipulation, mind control, or whatever magic she used on them?"

"She didn't….okay, it wasn't their plan at first!" Anna sputtered. "But that was _my _fault! I yelled at them, not her! I was the ungrateful one, not her! They made themselves servants so they could get to know us again! All because I ruined our reunion! Not Elsa!"

"They'd rather get to know you again as _servants_….in disguises that are even less convincing in hindsight….rather than as the king and queen they are?" Van Garrett nitpicked. "A very convoluted defense."

"Your words are rotten enough without being confusing!" Anna laid into him.

"Then let's make it clear," Van Garrett offered, addressing the crowd again. "Your King and Queen survived the devastating ocean! Only to come back after _three _years, and be manipulated into secrecy and servitude! All with the approval of our current Queen! And worse!"

Turning back to a somehow still quiet Elsa, he continued, "I accuse Queen Elsa of sabotage against the crown! Of keeping King Gaspar and Queen Malin from taking their rightful place back on the throne! And of using unnatural power, manipulation or both to make them think they deserve it! But now that we all know the truth, we can give them the courage to fight back! We can take our country back together!"

The murmuring got louder, more incoherent and more divided. Before anyone clearly spoke their agreement or rejection, one furious stride from Elsa towards Van Garrett quieted them down.

"You have five seconds to get inside the castle. Without another word," Elsa said, as icy as she'd ever said anything.

"I don't take orders from usurpers anymore," Van Garrett matched her.

"_Two _seconds!" Malin spoke out, barely willing to wait that long.

"It's all right, Your Highness. It's okay for you to stand up to her," Van Garret said more gently. "Arendelle will understand. Tell them the truth of what she did to you, and we'll all protect you."

"Let's hear your version of the truth, then," Malin hissed. "Go on, tempt us with _your _truth. No matter how it sounds."

"It sounds understandable," Van Garrett insisted. "More than the truth she made you peddle. After what you did to keep Arendelle safe from her, why would you let her rule now? Why, after she froze the town, killed her sister and let us all fall under attack on Christmas? An attack that almost got you and the King crushed? By a tree _she _froze?!"

Letting the memories and implications of that sink through, Van Garrett waited to continue, "The King and Queen who protected us from her would never allow that! Not unless they were forced by a vengeful Queen who twisted the past against them! Who made them think it was all their fault, when it wasn't! Why else would they stand by and do nothing?"

"Because it was our fault," Gaspar finally joined in.

"Don't you spout off her talking points! You're not what she made you believe you are!" Van Garrett pleaded. "You are our King! Our protector, our savior!"

"I am none of those things," Gaspar still said. "You're right. The truth needs to come out. To everyone."

Now it was Gaspar's turn to address the people. It was a task he'd done hundreds of times during his reign. He had never been as open and honest with them - and himself - in those addresses as he was about to be now.

"The truth is, my daughter isn't the only one I locked up," Gaspar confessed. "I kept the world from all of you. I kept Arendelle away from the world. I thought I had no choice, and maybe I didn't. But I didn't think of anything else I was taking away….from my family or my kingdom. And _that's_ what paved the way for the Great Freeze. _Not _my daughter!"

Gesturing to Elsa, he explained, "It also led to you getting a ruler that's….more open, giving, honest and loving than me. Than any monarch Arendelle's ever had. In spite of, or maybe because of, what her parents put her through. But after everything we took from you….neither me nor the Queen will take her away from you again."

Malin stood by him as Gaspar finished standing by Elsa. "We are proud of the Arendelle she's given you. And we will serve it in any way we can. But we will only serve it in the name of its proper Queen. And its proper Princess," he remembered to include Anna. "And with the understanding that no matter what we become now, we are _parents _first. As it should have been long ago."

The crowd reacted and discussed among themselves, with no clear decision of acceptance yet. However, the buzz around them didn't compare to the one in Elsa's head.

For one moment, Van Garrett and the rage he inspired didn't matter. Neither did whatever rage she had left for her parents. At that moment, after hearing Gaspar, she wanted to do for him what she hadn't done since they got back – defend him.

She'd defended their actions in her head for 13 years – albeit by bashing herself – and then broke her unquestioning loyalty to them for seven months. Of course, her old misguided belief that they always knew best – especially in keeping Arendelle from monsters – had nothing on Van Garrett now.

He wanted them to know they weren't monsters too, then or now. It was just out of misguided fear, hatred and borderline treason. Now it was time Elsa showed them and all of Arendelle that herself - but out of something much deeper and loving than blind loyalty and fear.

Unfortunately, Van Garrett was faster. "You've done enough apologizing for the right thing. _She's _made you do quite enough," he said.

"Ironically….we might be on the same side there. _Somewhat_," Elsa said calmly, hoping she might be building a way out of this.

"Then release them and stop destroying their Arendelle for revenge!" Van Garrett dashed her hopes again.

"They've had their own free will this entire time. What did I even do to convince you I _had _mind control powers?" Elsa got frustrated again. "_What _do I have to do to prove myself to you? I can't govern like this anymore!"

"Then _leave_," Van Garrett demanded. "Like you wanted to at the freeze. Like they should have made you do the first time you almost murdered your sister. They showed you kindness and mercy instead, and they paid for it ever since. We all have. But you've made them suffer enough."

"_We _suffered?!" Malin objected. "What did we _suffer_? We still had each other and they didn't! How are _we _the ones who suffered more?!"

"Three and a half years ago," was all Van Garrett said. When the royal family got the implication, they were confused. They almost didn't want to be clear, though. However, the Prime Minister didn't give them the choice.

"You locked her out for 10 years, and still left her alone to go to sea. She's admitted she couldn't control her emotions back then. _Any _emotions. We know the elements are out of control when she is. Do you expect us to think she was in control then?" Van Garrett asked. "And we all know they're out of control no matter how far away she is!"

"What does that have to do with three years ago?" Kristoff was the only one daring to ask out loud. Yet Van Garrett still addressed Elsa instead.

"You resented them. As you clearly resent them now. Without them around to keep you in line, how do we know you were? On that night?" Van Garrett zeroed in. "How do we know _how _many elements you control? We know you don't think clearly when you do! Without them to set you straight, you were capable of anything! Including…."

Van Garrett backed away towards the fountain, addressing everyone now. "The last seven months wouldn't have happened if they weren't lost. Her freedom, and all it brought down on us, wouldn't have happened. So maybe it's time we stopped merely thinking it, and call that tragic night at sea what it was. A failed murder."

For the first second after that, everyone saw a pang of pain on Elsa's face. Van Garrett almost said if he wasn't right, she would have just been angry – and this was a clear sign of guilt. But the anger came on with a full force after that - on her face and that of her family's.

Yet it was the non-human member of her family that spoke first, in a way he hadn't before.

"You big mean…." Olaf actually frowned for the first time ever. Even Van Garrett was surprised, as was Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Malin and Sven.

However, they all missed Gaspar's reaction.

Until he finished marching towards Van Garrett, grabbing him and pinning him on the fountain step.

"Oh. Never mind!" Olaf smiled again, since Peepaw had it from here.

Had it up to the point where he could have choked the life out of Van Garrett.

As it was, his hands just grabbed him and squeezed him anywhere that they could. For a man who lived his life on suppressing emotion, and maintaining a proper public image, letting go of that at last was pretty messy. He didn't even speak in proper sentences now.

"That's my daughter!" he screamed. "My daughter! My daughter!" he repeated as Elsa and Malin finally ran over to him. "No more! No more! Never again!" he snapped, caught between wanting to strangle Van Garrett or just punch him.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Van Garrett yelled in terror.

Gaspar almost started punching until Malin came between him and backed him off, much more for her husband's sake than Van Garrett's. He finally sat down on the fountain, breathing heavily and barely under control, as Van Garrett stayed on his back.

Elsa came over to her father, although looking at him in this state could have set her off next. But when Gaspar finally locked with her eyes, he remembered the look they gave right before he saw red.

A look that told him all he wished he didn't know, about what she thought after the shipwreck. What she thought of her role in it.

"Did you….really think you caused…." he couldn't even finish.

By some miracle, Elsa answered without shedding a tear. "After six months, I had to stop…."

Anna was no longer a half-second from her own murderous rage when she heard that. She was then able to take a step forward without the need to take Van Garrett's face off. Yet by then, Gaspar had already beaten her to the punch in hugging Elsa.

"You've never hurt us. In _any _way. And you never will," Gaspar fiercely told her.

"Never…." was all Elsa could repeat and vow.

That was one more word than Van Garrett could use, as the shock of being attacked by Gaspar still paralyzed him. The man who spared and saved his life looked like he actually wanted to kill him. It was more than he could bare.

For that brief moment when Anna looked at him, she remembered the lyrics of the trolls. _"People make bad choices if they're mad or scared or stressed."_

In that same moment, Van Garrett looked at Gaspar and Malin holding Elsa. He did nothing but speak up for them and defend them, out of love for them, for the last 20 years and now. Yet the King attacked him and embraced _her_.

Elsa broke from Gaspar's hug to get him back on his feet. Turning to Van Garrett, she figured she could stand to help him stand too while she was there.

But when she reached for him, Van Garrett forcibly took his arm away and hissed, "DON'T you _touch _me!"

Elsa had imagined and had nightmares of people refusing her touch for so long. But it was mostly out of fear at first. This was brought on by pure, 100 percent hate.

So was Gaspar pushing his way back towards him, although he didn't physically attack him this time. He settled for saying, "The only reason I would take back the throne….is so my first order would be to throw you in the dungeons for treason."

"If you were back on the throne, I would gladly follow that order. Even now," Van Garrett promised. "Because I know this isn't your doing. Now more than ever."

"You never knew me. Or my family," Gaspar said ominously.

"You taught me enough 21 years ago. What I got from it since….I don't care if I lose it now," Van Garrett conveyed. "I would give up everything in an instant to save you and Arendelle, and I have. Like you did 13 years ago. You taught us _all _how to sacrifice for the greater good all those years, and we didn't even know it!"

"And _that_ is why I was a disgraceful King. And father," Gaspar insisted. "I know what I was. And what I'm going to be now." Pausing, he finally decided, "Maybe it's time they all knew what _you _really are to go with it."

As Van Garrett let that threat sink in, he let an even harder truth he tried to delay sink in with it. "There's no snapping you out of this. Not here."

Gaspar was unmoved, and so was the rest of the royal family. Van Garrett then looked over and saw the crowd, who hadn't rushed to inspire them and denounce Elsa like he'd hoped. They'd been pretty quiet, actually – and not enough of them looked like they were on his side.

Van Garrett sighed, showing a profound look of resignation on his face. But not for the reasons the royal family believed, for his sake.

"Very well," he admitted as he got on his feet. "You wanted to talk in the castle. We can do that now."

"It's a little late for that, don't you think?" Anna frowned.

"We can end it there," Van Garrett responded. "We'll work out whatever you need to work out in private…..and then I'll leave and step down."

"Okay, you finally made sense at the end…." Anna conceded.

"I should make you leave and step down right this second," Elsa got under control enough to speak to him without freezing him.

"If this makes him leave without any more….public tantrums, we might as well," Malin admitted. Anna and Elsa both huffed, but they were too worn down to argue with her too. So was Gaspar.

With their agreement implied, Van Garrett brushed himself off and addressed the crowd. "My apologies to all of you. You can go home and enjoy a good night's rest. I promise you that the next time you see your leaders, all will be well."

One last murmur went through the crowd – only now it was followed by words. "Long live the royal family!"

That one person chant was soon carried on by several more, until the crowd was fully unified. Seeing their royalty all together for the first time in over a decade – if not ever for many people – had finally sunk in.

Just as standing together, as they really were, for the first time in front of their people, sunk in for the royalty.

With that much needed, long overdue sensation washing over them, they felt strong enough to endure their more unpleasant tasks ahead. Before they lost their nerve and sense of mercy, they headed towards the castle and let Van Garrett come with them.

Yet when they got to the castle entrance, Van Garrett stood himself in front of Kristoff, Sven and Olaf. "I think it should be royal family only beyond this point," he told them.

"Then why are _you_ going in?" Kristoff couldn't help himself. "You know they're not your parents, right? You kind of look older than them anyway."

Van Garrett contained his clenched jaw, while both Anna and Elsa contained a clenched grin – to say nothing of their parents. But Anna actually contained it enough to tell Kristoff, "It's all right. At least one of us should get to avoid boring meetings."

"You sure?" Kristoff still asked, despite how good she made it sound.

"You've had a long day. We all have. But you're the ones who can rest now," Elsa offered.

"Well….okay! You just have fun yelling at the mean man some more. Okay?" Olaf asked.

"Shouldn't be a problem," Elsa smiled, patting Olaf's head as Anna kissed Kristoff good night. She also fit in a pat for Sven before turning around, just as Van Garrett opened up for her family.

After the family got in and Van Garrett closed up, he led them through the empty palace. "Where's the staff? Did you make them stand out there with everyone else? Even Kai?" Anna accused.

"They've earned a break," he answered. "We should head for the throne room."

The family brought themselves to follow his instructions, following him down the halls until they reached the throne room door. He stopped beside it and said, "I never wanted it to come to this. Deep down, you didn't either. I just pray we can end this right."

For some reason, this inspired him to knock on the wall five times in a row. It confused the family and made Anna wonder if he ripped her off.

That threw them off until they heard the passageways in the wall open.

That threw them off until they saw the armed guards heading right for them.

That threw them off until they realized they didn't look like the regular palace guards.

That threw them off until they saw the throne room doors open, and more 'guards' came out to surround them.

That threw them off from noticing Van Garrett backing up towards them. And from seeing him take a dagger from his pocket.

Until he held it against Anna's throat.


	25. Attack

The moment Elsa saw Anna under Van Garrett's dagger, she could have frozen him solid in a split second. Of course, she'd have been too blind by anger to figure out how not to freeze Anna too. So maybe there was a silver lining to Van Garrett giving orders a split second faster.

"_One _snowflake falls from those hands, and I use this!" Van Garrett held the dagger tighter against Anna. "Just one! No powers at all, do you understand?!"

Elsa couldn't even nod. It was taking such an effort to follow his instructions, she couldn't afford to move a muscle.

Gaspar and Malin almost leaped at Van Garrett themselves, until his new friends blocked the way. They tried to fight them off, yet they had enough borrowed weapons from the tunnel supply room to make it unwise.

"This is how it's going to work," Van Garrett started. "My partners are taking Elsa away. We'll say Anna ran away going after them. The King and Queen will reassume the throne, and with her gone, her control over them should disappear. But if I hear one single report of Elsa escaping, or using her powers just one time…."

"She doesn't control us, you lunatic!" Malin yelled. "Where are you even taking her?!"

"The Southern Isles," Van Garrett answered. "It's true, no one in power there has a grudge against Arendelle, or her. But those out of power have friends with places to hold her, from what I've been told. If anything different or magical happens, and if I don't get progress reports at the agreed upon times…."

"Even if she goes, what about us?!" Gaspar asked. "What makes you think we won't tell anyone? What makes you think anyone in Arendelle will buy….whatever cover up you sell them? Especially after that little display outside? Did you seriously think _any_ of this through?"

"Take back the throne and accept she needs to go, and I won't have to. You sent her away for the greater good before. And she didn't even manipulate you then," Van Garrett argued.

"You say one more word about Elsa, and I'll make you kill me myself! Then your whole stupid plan will be ruined, won't it?" Anna figured. "Then I'll be dead….and acts of true love don't cure dagger stabbing. Okay, so I gotta think a few things through here too…."

"There's nothing to think about. If you love us _so _much, Tomas, you'll let our daughters go _now_," Gaspar demanded.

"It's okay, Your Majesty. When enough time has passed and her spell has worn off, you'll know better. Just like you did then," Van Garrett promised. "Then we can talk about bringing Anna back."

"Okay, where am I going until then?" Anna asked.

"I have old friends that'll take Elsa to the Southern Isles. They have friends that'll make you comfortable in Weselton," Van Garrett admitted. "If I don't hear about you two being comfortable in your new homes, on time every week….or your parents do anything under Elsa's influence to get you back or expose me, before they're cured….no one will be comfortable."

"Elsa, I'm comfortable with you freezing him now! Do it!" Malin pleaded.

"Yes. Third time would be the charm, wouldn't it?" Van Garrett got into her head, holding Anna harder to seal the deal. With that reminder of the ugly past, Elsa was powerless in every way.

"Elsa, please! Don't let him do this just for me! His plan's too crazy and stupid to work! You can make it fail faster and save me, I know you can!" Anna hoped. But this time, pure faith couldn't get through to Elsa.

"Anna….Mama, Papa…." Elsa tried to explain, feeling like a fearful failure all over again. But she had to suppress it before one little snowflake fell, or else….

She came all too close to muttering three little words again. But Anna, Gaspar and Malin could tell she was thinking them. Since Gaspar and Malin couldn't see her conceal this heavily before or after the shipwreck, and since Anna missed it altogether, this was freshly heartbreaking for them.

"All right, there's still a lot to do. You guys keep the King and Queen here, you guys get Elsa to our Southern Isles boat, and I'll take Anna to our Weselton boat," Van Garrett explained. "By the time I get back, they'll be on their way out and hopefully….our King and Queen will start feeling deprogrammed."

"You don't tell them what to feel, you – " Anna nearly finished with a rather unlady like flourish, if Van Garrett hadn't covered her mouth.

"She'll only be quiet for so long, trust me. Get going, all of you. I gave you the rest of my fortune, so you'd better start earning it," Van Garrett ordered. The group of 'guards' around Elsa marched her down the hall, as she couldn't trust herself to even speak a final word to her family.

"Elsa!" Gaspar and Malin called out, hardly as restrained. However, their guards took a cue from Van Garrett and put a hand over their mouths.

"I'm sorry," Van Garrett said. "I'll start getting you back to normal when I return. I promise." It felt on deaf ears to the furious parents, as Van Garrett took Anna down the other end of the hall.

Their struggles finally faded from Van Garrett and Anna's ears, just as they were about to make a turn. But then something louder rang down the hall. Something remotely like….hooves. Then more noises were heard until something else rang out.

"Bye, Elsa! Hi, Meemaw and Peepaw!" something called like….a talking snowman.

Many more chaotic noises then stampeded like….a charging crowd.

Van Garrett and Anna couldn't understand, although only one of them didn't mind right now. How it happened would have been too much to explain in such a short time anyway – at least on their timetable.

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_Earlier that night…._

When Gerda heard that Kai actually went home early for the night, she didn't buy it. Even if she didn't know how rare that was for Kai, hearing Van Garrett made the claim made her even more suspicious.

But she kept it down at the moment, figuring she would find Kai in the crowd at the courtyard, and talk to him before the royal family got back. If they were going to be exposed, Kai and Gerda could at least plan a defense for them, and of how they used this secret time together to mend their family again – at least until last night.

Yet Gerda looked through the whole crowd, the whole town and even Kai's home, and there was no sign of him. She had plenty of time to look, since the royal family was still riding home. But it seemed they weren't the only ones missing right now.

Impatient with waiting on all counts, Gerda decided to look elsewhere for answers. Yet since the castle appeared to be deserted now, under the Prime Minister's orders, she suspected she couldn't just ask to go back in and look through Kai's office for clues.

Luckily, there were other ways to get inside. Ways that only two servants were trusted to know about.

Gerda left the crowd and started going around to the back of the castle. It wasn't an easy trek – especially when she started hearing loud noises from the crowd halfway there. But by then, it was too late and pointless to go back.

Perhaps if she snuck back in now, she could catch the royal family as they entered and tell them about Kai from there. That seemed like the easier way to go.

Gerda went on to the back of the castle – specifically, to the entrance for the secret tunnel out of Arendelle. With her knowledge of how to open it from the outside, she made her way into the tunnels and intended to go straight down into the castle.

Yet when she passed by the tunnel that led to the weapons, supplies and war rooms, she heard another commotion.

It wasn't a crowd, but there was yelling. Bellowing, really. Like the bellowing of….someone Gerda had heard bellow introductions for Arendelle's leaders for years.

But this time, it was bellowing for help. Or rather, _he _was.

"Kai?" Gerda called out, turning towards the neighboring tunnel. "Kai? If this is one of those prankster people, this really isn't a good time!"

"It's not and it isn't!" the familiar voice called. "Gerda, tell me you're not a prankster! Please!"

"Never! No matter how much the Princess tried to make me one!" Gerda announced.

With determination, Gerda ran as fast as her legs could carry – and they could still carry a great deal in a sprint, it turned out. Kai kept calling Gerda's name, until she stopped and realized it was coming from the supply room. Using the great deal her legs could carry, Gerda slammed herself into the door until it broke open.

Even that didn't take as much out of her as seeing Kai tied up inside.

By this point, Kai had toppled himself and his chair over. Fortunately, the scarf Van Garrett tied over his mouth wasn't big enough - at least not enough to be tied securely around his large head. Rubbing the back of his head against the chair and ground, and pushing the front of the scarf around with his mouth and tongue, paved the way for him to get it loose enough to start screaming.

Gerda took care of the rest, getting Kai and his chair upright and untying him all over. "Who did this to you?" she asked in the meantime.

"The Prime Minister. He's gone mad! He thinks Queen Elsa is controlling the King and Queen!" Kai recapped. "He's going to send the Southern Isles mercenaries after her if she doesn't 'let them go'! They're in the castle right now!"

"Oh no….the King! The Queens! The Princess! They're outside right now, they have to be!" Gerda put together. "Van Garrett and the whole town are waiting for them at the courtyard!"

"Then we have to get to them before they get inside!" Kai planned as he got on his feet. "Those mercenaries _are _inside, though! We'll have to go out the back!"

"I know just the route!" Gerda bragged, in spite of how Kai knew it too.

They both raced down the tunnel, then down the one that took them back outside. They took the route Gerda had just used in reverse, as Gerda was getting more and more distressed that she didn't hear any big crowds.

By the time they got to the courtyard, there was a much smaller crowd still hanging around. By a pure and utter blessing, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf were among them.

"Masters Kristoff, Olaf, Sven!" Kai called out. "Where's the royal family?"

"They went in the castle. Where have _you _guys been?" Kristoff wondered.

"Tell me if the Prime Minister 'freed' the King and Queen from Queen Elsa's 'control' first!" Gerda pleaded.

"He tried, it didn't take," Kristoff rolled his eyes, then took it much more seriously. "Wait….if you weren't here, how do _you _know he tried that?"

"Because he hid those Southern Isles mercenaries in the castle to attack them if he failed! They might be attacking them right now!" Kai said loud enough for the rest of the crowd to hear.

Kristoff took this in for a second, before his face morphed into one with the steely resolve of a prince. "Not that family, they aren't," he vowed.

He jumped right onto Sven, then got him to bow his head down so Olaf could climb on. "Olaf, when we get to the nearest door, you and your nose know what to do!" he ordered.

"I know! I didn't even say I nose, that's how much I know!" Olaf vowed.

"Are there any actual guards here?" Kristoff asked everyone else, to which only a few un-uniformed guards raised their hands.

"He sent them and the whole staff home! Unless they're locked in tunnels too!" Gerda spat.

"I think it was just me. I can find more and get them here!" Kai offered.

"Okay! We'll need more people to come with us until then!" Kristoff said, turning to the rest of the skeptical crowd. Fighting mercenaries and a Prime Minister wasn't what they came out here to do, after all – even those who were trained for it.

"Look, I get it. But the royal family's under attack by _another_ deluded maniac! He'll hurt the Queen who's done everything for you _but _freeze you lately, hurt the Princess who we all love, and hurt their parents! Is this an Arendelle that lets our royals suffer like that anymore?" Kristoff asked. "Especially by Southern Isles people that attacked you on Christmas?"

"I'm gonna go with a soft no?" Olaf answered for them.

"Forget it, I wasted too much time monologuing!" Kristoff sighed. "Come on if you want, but we're going in!"

Kristoff got Sven to charge out of the courtyard, towards the nearest door to the castle. There, Olaf jumped off Sven and used his nose to pick the lock. When it was open, Kristoff rode Sven through and inside, with a few guards and more regular people starting to follow.

Still, Kristoff and Sven were the faster ones as they rode through the castle, although they had no idea where to specifically look. They kept racing through the halls in hopes of finding something – and then as they made the next turn, they saw something on the horizon.

Four of those somethings were dressed as guards. But Arendelle's guards wouldn't be guarding and marching Elsa down like that. Why she wasn't freezing them, though….that was much more troubling. But if Kristoff was gonna get answers from her….

"Olaf!" he called as he kept riding Sven down the hall.

"Got it!" Olaf stayed on the same page, preparing to dive off of Sven's head. When they charged close enough, Kristoff brought Sven to a half and Olaf leaped off, jumping on/hugging the shocked guards before they could do anything.

This gave Kristoff the opening to get Sven going again, charge towards Elsa and seize her before the mercenaries grabbed her back.

She was flung onto Sven and barely held on for the ride, as Kristoff held her in front of him. She faintly heard Olaf call, "Bye, Elsa! Hey, Meemaw and Peepaw!" then looked up to see Kristoff was charging towards the men who had her parents.

Sven was able to run down one of them, then use his antlers to push aside another. Kristoff jumped off and tried to take them on man to man, but Elsa was still too paralyzed with uncertainty to help.

One mercenary was about to take advantage and seize her back – until more chaotic charging noises distracted him. The sources of them then came running up the hall.

"Protect the King and Queens!" one of the real guards yelled, as his fellow men at arms, a few regular citizens and a talking snowman rushed to join him. Soon enough, the fighting was on.

Kristoff powered through one enemy fighter to get to Gaspar and Malin, with the other regular guards soon by his side. "Anna?" Kristoff asked them while he could, but saw and heard nothing that told him she was here.

With that, he called out for someone else. "Van Garrett!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Kris-" Anna started calling, but couldn't finish.

Van Garrett finally sprang back into action – or as much as he could while running away, dragging Anna with him and holding his hand over her mouth all at once. It did sound like the mercenaries were at least holding Kristoff and….his people back, so he was still in good shape.

If he disregarded everything else that their attack meant.

Nevertheless, Van Garrett found his way to the bookcase, and the passageway that it opened out of Arendelle. He opened it, ran inside, closed it up from inside the tunnel, and started running again. With no one able to hear him or Anna now, he didn't have to cover her mouth and he could run faster.

With Anna screaming, "Elsa! Mama, Papa! Kristoff! Olaf! Sven!" however, it didn't mean it was any easier.

"Be quiet, I have to think!" he urged.

"Good time to start now, huh?" Anna couldn't help but tease.

"You start by telling me how they got in! _Why_ they got in! How he….knew I had you," it dawned on Van Garrett. "They know. They all know I did this. Those criminals were supposed to take the entire fall….I was supposed to stay here and deprogram the King and Queen….and they would keep quiet about me to protect you."

"And it all fell apart because of a blabbermouth," Anna smirked. "Don't worry. Some plans look so smart at first, then you don't see how they could _never _work till it's way too late. It can be a whole family curse, really."

Van Garrett kept a grip on Anna's wrist, while barely keeping a grip on himself. "I'll have to leave the kingdom with you. Go to Weselton. Get other nations to free them from Elsa for me. But….I spent all my money on those mercenaries! After _this_, they'll never let me on the boat, let alone Weselton, for free!"

He looked ahead at the tunnel that would take him out of Arendelle, and the one next to it that wouldn't. But that one might have to be the better option, if only for the few minutes he could spare.

"All right," Van Garrett vowed. "We need to make one quick stop before we get out of here."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While that was going on, the combined efforts of Kristoff, the palace guards that had arrived, some plucky citizens and a snowman were freeing the royal family.

"Elsa, we're doing great!" Kristoff said while holding a mercenary back. "A little bad weather might help, though!"

"I, I can't…." Elsa stammered. "If one of them escapes and tells Van Garrett, Anna…."

"Not if we find them first," Gaspar promised. Kristoff then realized what he had to do – and what he couldn't do, in spite of his deep wish to.

"Then go! You three find her, we'll hold them back and give you time!" Kristoff vowed.

"You're not coming?" Malin asked, before dodging the grip of a mercenary. Sven pinned him down before he took another shot, though.

"Wish I could!" Kristoff sighed. "You guys have actually saved her more than me, though! You'll be fine, powers or not!"

"If we are, we'd better prove it now!" Gaspar helped his wife and daughter back away.

"Go get her! Just go!" Kristoff called out while fighting.

"Thank you, son," Gaspar let slip out. Yet he couldn't give an easier slip to the mercenary leader who grabbed him.

"You're Van Garrett's precious king. But Hans is mine! More's the pity," he taunted.

If there was another taunt banging around in his brain, it was likely crushed – along with a brain cell or two – when a citizen of Arendelle banged a frying pan on the side of his head.

Although the mercenary dropped Gaspar, the citizen dropped the pan when he turned to him instead of going down. "What are you, from Corona?" he asked.

The answer came from Elsa. But only after she picked up the pan and smashed the front of his face.

"No, or he'd know _that_'s much more effective!" she said, although the mercenary wasn't conscious enough to hear him. The citizen did hear her say, "But thank you just the same, though."

"Thank you, My Queen. Please get the Princess back for us," he replied.

"You heard him, go already!" Kristoff pleaded again, as more Arendellians came coming to help.

"I'll never forget this. From any of you," Elsa vowed - letting herself be amazed, if only for one spare second, that common people were fighting for her voluntarily. Just as part of her was still amazed they wanted her, not her parents, to lead them. If only because they didn't up rise like Van Garrett wanted.

Yet she couldn't even save Anna without powers. She'd still have to work on that. But as Kristoff kept urging, a good start would be to actually run and find her.

"Oh, and he locked Kai in the tunnels, but he's out now! Go check those out anyway!" Kristoff called before the royals finally left his sight.

"Already on it, but thank you!" Malin assured.

The royals were quiet with their mouths as their feet loudly carried them down the halls. When they got closer to the bookcase, Gaspar remembered, "He was planning to stay to 'deprogram' us. He can't do that now! He'll have to take Anna away himself….but he said he's got no money left."

"Even if they let him go to Weselton too, _they_ won't let him stay for free. Even with Anna," Elsa reasoned. She put together the rest once they got to the bookcase. "The war room! Between the money and valuable documents in there, that would do it!"

"Good job, sweetheart," Malin said as she opened the passageway. "Just like you'll do a good job saving your sister. No matter how."

"There's a first time for everything," Elsa told herself.

"Like saving her the right way, _together_," Gaspar told her back. "It's time we got that right once and for all."

On that end, Elsa was ready to obey her father without question, like the old days. Only better.

Only with the reward of seeing Anna again within reach this time.


	26. A Dose of Reality

The war room of Arendelle had one big table each on its left and right. Hidden from view were secret compartments containing important documents, and emergency war chests. Van Garrett tried to search them all while dragging Anna and holding her wrist.

"This has to be enough," Van Garrett muttered while putting gold and papers in his pockets. "It shouldn't make a difference, though. Freeing Arendelle, its rulers and the world from her should be incentive enough! It should have been enough for our own people! For you, even!"

"Oh no, you've dragged me into this little breakdown of yours enough!" Anna objected.

"Why couldn't you have just let her die?! At the fjord?" Van Garrett asked. "Why did you have to be so selfish?"

"That's the first time in my life I _wasn't _selfish! And that's not even the worst thing you…._what_?!" Anna couldn't believe.

"It would have been so perfect. The winter would have ended, she'd be gone, and Hans didn't show any….tyrant-y behavior anyway," Van Garrett reasoned. "We could have survived his rule for six months. Then they would have returned, saw you both dead, overthrew him in glorious rebellion, taken the throne, and given Arendelle a future again. If we'd only known what could have been _then_…."

"Yeah, if we knew how crazy things would be _then_," Anna tried to dig at Van Garrett, in lue of screaming.

"But you ruined it by saving her. What were you thinking?" Van Garrett wondered. "She poisoned your mind long before she poisoned them. Almost destroyed it _twice_, even. All the misery of your life was because of her, and you still threw it and Arendelle away for her. Why? Because she's your _sister_? Like _that_ makes her _abuse_ okay?!"

"You know what? No, it doesn't!" Anna snapped. "She hurt me, they _all _hurt me! They made the worst mistakes ever….and I _still_ love them! I love Elsa and I love my parents, even when they got so much wrong! At least I accepted it….eventually! Unlike you!"

"We don't have time for this," Van Garrett backtracked, going back to taking whatever gold and documents he could. But Anna saw she might have time for a way out now.

"Van Garrett? Tomas?" Anna appealed. "I know how you feel. You listened to them, obeyed them without question for decades….so much you never _considered _they were wrong. That they could do _anything _wrong. That's why you can't accept it now. But I know how hard that is! I know how angry it can make you!"

"What do you know about the world?" Van Garrett questioned. "About real pain, real suffering, all of it?"

"You're right. I _don't_ know about it. I thought I did, and I was wrong. Everything Elsa went through for an ungrateful sister taught me that," Anna shared. "Everything my parents thought they had to do….and how it killed them too….taught me that. That doesn't mean they weren't wrong. But it does mean I can accept them better, and still love them. _And _accept their flaws too!"

"I repeat, _what _do you know?!" Van Garrett hissed. "You were still the princess! You still had them for a while! And you still whined about losing _her_! At least you had _two_ people that loved you! You had a home! You had options left besides being a criminal! You had a will to live! Some of us aren't that lucky and ungrateful! Not until…."

Van Garrett snapped out of his rage for perhaps the first time tonight. This made him let go of Anna, but he kept the dagger aimed at her so she wouldn't run off. She still stayed, as for the second time tonight, Anna saw him as more of a scared, fearful man than a deluded lunatic.

"They could have locked me up or killed me that night, and that would have been mercy to me. But they gave me a job. They inspired me to make my life mean something," Van Garrett recounted yet again. "How can people who do that….possibly be as wrong as you claim? To their own children?"

"I know," Anna said sincerely. "It doesn't make sense. But it can. When you realize they can mess up so bad….but it makes all their love and kindness and care even more special. Elsa fights so hard not to mess up again because she loves _so much_. So do my parents. That makes them _so much _better and stronger than if they were perfect. If I'd known that earlier…."

Anna stopped for a second, since crying in front of him would be too much. She focused enough to say, "But you can know now. Can't you just accept they did some really bad things, and that they're _still _the good people you loved so much? Who deserve to be loved? Isn't that easier than thinking they're under mind control and Elsa's a psycho? I know it probably isn't to you, but….it can be."

Anna was able to step back from Van Garrett, which was a good sign right there. "Just let me get back to my family. I want to hug them and tell them I love them _all _again, no matter who they are or what they did. They'll be so grateful, they'll show you mercy again! They forgave you for being a criminal _that_ night! So why can't you accept they made big mistakes too? I'm telling you, it's possible!"

Van Garrett kept his eye on Anna, yet his mind was clearly elsewhere. Anna didn't mind either way.

"I can't," he finally settled on. "I made real mistakes. _They_ didn't. And I won't abandon them, just like they didn't abandon me. Even if I have to leave Arendelle, I will never leave them at _her _mercy. You're their daughter, and _you_…."

Frowning again, he finished, "I won't let them keep suffering for having daughters like you. Not when I know they deserve better."

"I know they do," Anna admitted. "I kinda knew you'd say that too. But that's okay." Getting ready, she revealed, "I just needed a free hand, is all."

That free hand – the right one, in fact – wound up and decked Van Garrett. It did such a good job, he stumbled backwards until he hit the left table and fell on his backside. It also made him drop the dagger, which Anna remembered to kick away before she did anything else.

Like kick him between his legs, for one thing. Another less than princess-y fight move she'd wanted to use for a while. Along with one more.

"Let's see if my left's got any promise!" Anna cryptically promised over Van Garrett's moans. But he heard her loud and clear when her left hook decked him right on his back.

He was still conscious, but he was all but rocking himself in pain. However, he still moved around too much for Anna. Therefore, she put her foot on his chest before he got the bright idea of standing up again.

Van Garrett's groans drowned out the banging noises from the door. At least until Gaspar charged into it and broke it down. For such secret rooms, they didn't have the most secure doors.

It didn't matter much now. Nor did Gaspar, Malin and Elsa's rescue efforts, apparently. It seemed Anna had done a good job of saving herself. At the least, her babbling bought her enough time to take care of him before they got here.

"Oh, there you are," Anna joked, wanting to save the crying for later.

"Anna!" Elsa exclaimed, much less contained than Anna for once. Still, her relief and joy brought the floodgates on for Anna, as always.

Her foot was still on Van Garrett, although her face was centered on Elsa, just as her family's faces were on Anna. No one was watching Van Garrett – or how he reached into the open side of his green coat. Or the large item he was taking out of it.

When Anna finally stepped off him to get to Elsa, however, Gaspar saw it from the corner of his eye. An item he could have only gotten from the weapons room.

"Sword!" he called.

Anna didn't hear him. Not until Van Garrett reached over with his left hand and grabbed her leg. Not until he leapt up, rather well for a mid 50's man in a fair amount of pain, and got on his feet. Not until Elsa saw him and the sword in his right hand, and instinctively shot an icicle in his direction.

But when he grabbed Anna and held his sword against her throat, the icicle wasn't coming in his direction anymore.

If Elsa had been one fraction of a split second faster, it would have gone right through Anna's head instead.

But thanks to the greatest effort of control any magical being could ever use – through the greatest fear any magical being could ever feel – Elsa made the icicle stop flying. Right before the tip of it went into Anna's forehead.

Even in that position, however, Anna didn't come close to being as pale and terrified as Elsa.

The icicle stayed suspended in midair against Anna, while Elsa's motion on the ground was just as paralyzed. Van Garrett had to pick up the icicle with his free hand and throw it away, which finally made Elsa move.

Before she could say any words at all, she remembered the words of Van Garrett – the ones saying Anna would die if she used magic. She had figured since Van Garrett had already been beaten by Anna, it didn't apply anymore. Especially when he was coming with a sword.

Now that he had her all over again, the same rules probably applied again. If he wasn't going to count Elsa's last rule violation against Anna. Even if he didn't, if she used magic again now….which she would if she didn't get under control now….

But after almost killing her sister for a_ third _time, how was it possible?

Elsa breathed heavily and hugged herself, figuring she wouldn't freeze anything if she held her own arms – maybe. She tried to look at Anna and tell her she was sorry, but the sight of her under Van Garrett's sword was too much. A sight that would make her use magic and get her killed again if she kept looking.

Even if it just got Anna killed by Van Garrett instead.

Gaspar and Malin watched the terror Elsa was living through. The kind of immediate terror they didn't see eight-year-old Elsa go through, before they charged into the Great Hall that night and yelled at her. The kind of terror they didn't see when they were thousands of miles from the ice palace and fjord, 13 years later.

It was the kind of terror, and the kind of sight, they'd lived in paralyzing fear of for 10 straight years, though. The same fear that they transmitted to Elsa, in ways they'd been endlessly reminded of all month. The fear that still might never leave her for the rest of her life – like it hadn't now.

But this time, Malin did something other than feed the fear. Even if it was 13 years too late.

The minute Malin touched Elsa, she sank into her mother's arms and tried to say, "I'm sorry…." through her heavy breathing.

"It's okay, it was an accident. You didn't kill her….you saved her, actually," Malin gently said. Elsa exhaled harder, using all her efforts not to release magic or tears, especially in front of Van Garrett.

"I've got you, Elsa. I've got you," Malin told her. "We've got you…."

Gaspar silently went to his wife and daughter. When Elsa opened her eyes and looked at him, she cringed in fear and shame. After actually _seeing_ Elsa almost kill Anna this time, unlike 13 years ago, she couldn't begin to imagine what he'd say or do now.

Logically, she had no reason to fear it – especially since they still had to free Anna first. But emotionally, the eight-year-old Elsa that she felt like now was terrified. It took every last bit of the adult Elsa that was still left to contain that fear, before she unleashed something else.

It was something else that finished the job, though.

Something as small as a kiss to the forehead.

Followed by the small but powerful words, "We're going to be okay, Elsa."

When Gaspar provided all of this, Elsa stopped shaking. She eventually felt ready to look at Anna and not block her out anymore.

As she would have back then, had she remembered anything, Anna told her, "I'm okay, Elsa. You're okay. I love you…."

As it could have so long ago, love thawed Elsa's fear and shame. Now that three people were finally joined together to give it to her.

But there were a total of four others in this room. One of which still had a sword against Anna's neck. And who came up with a new demand while everyone else was sobbing.

"You're going to come with us," Van Garrett told Elsa once Malin let her go.

"Oh, she's doing _what _now? Wait…." Anna realized she hadn't actually heard him. "_With _us?"

"You go with us to Weselton. You stay there, peacefully and powerless, with her and me. And they reclaim Arendelle," Van Garrett offered. "They make no effort to get you, and they should go back to normal on their own. And I make sure no Dukes attack you, _as long _as none of you attack anyone first. That's the best I can do!"

"No, it's far from it," Malin argued.

"There's no other way! At least I'm letting them stay together! Against my better judgment!" Van Garrett said. "Just take care of Arendelle and I'll make Weselton care for them! As long as they behave! That's all the mercy I can give them!"

"I have my own offer of mercy," Gaspar countered. "Release Anna now, and I'll kill you _quick_."

"You don't mean that," Van Garrett predicted. "It's still Elsa talking. Especially since she can't risk killing me herself. Don't do her work, not when we're so close!"

"Why is it so hard to believe _I _want you to suffer?" Gaspar asked.

"Because you've never wanted to harm me. Not even on the night we met. It's why you and the Queen spared me," Van Garrett knew.

Or he thought he did for 21 years.

"I spared you because of Elsa. Not because she made me," Gaspar decided to admit. "I spared you because if I let you go in the Great Hall that night, you would have found a six-month-old Elsa using magic. And I couldn't risk it. So I gave you a job just to get you out of there. And because I felt sorry for you…._only _because I was so worried for Elsa."

"And there it is. _Finally_," Anna sighed, despite the danger of moving her throat.

"Elsa's not telling him to say that," Malin stopped Van Garrett at the pass. "It's the truth. Why else do you think we were _that _desperate to keep you from passing us? We had guards beyond there that would have stopped any heist! What we needed to protect, at _any _price, was Elsa's secret! Especially on the night _we _discovered it!"

"And that's why we showed you mercy. Mercy we would have never granted on another night," Gaspar confessed. "If you broke in a night earlier, you would still be rotting in the dungeons. And we wouldn't have given it a second thought. We only thought different because we had to protect Elsa! _Elsa!_ The very woman you've demonized all this time!"

"You're lying…." Van Garrett told him and himself.

"Not anymore. Not about that first lie," Gaspar said. "That was how it all started. It was the first time I let fear compromise me, when it came to my daughter. Maybe that's how it got easier over time. Maybe I could have been stronger later if I locked you up."

"You don't mean it…." Van Garrett insisted, as the hand that held the sword started to shake. Gaspar dared to get closer, however.

"Here's what I mean. I didn't spare you from the kindness of my heart. Not primarily," Gaspar pressed. "I mainly saved you because you were as helpless as Elsa that night. But if you'd come on any other night, I wouldn't have cared. Not that much. Not enough to keep you from the dungeons."

Van Garrett's hold on Anna loosened, as Gaspar dared to reach for her while driving his emotional sword through her captor. "You are where you are because you are my original sin. Nothing more. My love for _Elsa_ spared you. Nothing more. You owe your entire life to _her_. And her magic appearing to us on the right night."

Van Garrett's free arm dropped. So did the arm that held the sword. Anna was now free to run into Elsa and Malin's arms, and she did. But Gaspar and Van Garrett stayed right where they were.

"You can't ask me to believe this…." Van Garrett muttered. "You're asking me to believe….everything I _had _believed about you, and why you spared me, was wrong…."

Anna refrained herself from pointing out she tried to warn him. Albeit without actually telling him the truth.

"I made myself better because I believed it….it's why I'm Prime Minister. It's why I'm anything," Van Garrett recapped. "I did _everything _because of it. Including…."

"I'm sorry," Gaspar expressed. "There was no way I could have told you earlier. It doesn't make it right. It doesn't make it completely wrong, either."

"You're telling me I committed high treason….for _nothing_," Van Garrett realized. "I destroyed my life….the life you gave me because…." He finished, "It was for nothing."

"We'd _been _trying to tell you," Malin corrected. "You're the one who wouldn't let yourself listen."

Now he wished nothing more than to make himself stop. But it kept hammering away at him. It even drowned out the sound of him dropping his sword.

"No, no, no….." he said to himself, shaking his head.

"It's all right. We're just going to go now," Gaspar offered, as the rest of his family got ready to follow his lead.

"No, no…." Van Garrett continued to insist.

He insisted it again when Gaspar gently took his left wrist, preparing to lead him out. His volume increased when his feet stayed right where they were.

But the rest of his face was speaking louder.

Soon, his tone of voice caught up with the anger radiating from it.

"No, no, no, no…." he started yelling as Anna, Malin and Elsa started paying attention again.

Only Gaspar saw what else he was doing next. And Van Garrett ducked just in time to avoid his grasp.

"No, no, NO!"

Elsa saw it too. She only had enough time to raise her hand.

Nothing came out this time.

Van Garrett and his sword were just too fast.

It drove into the right side of Gaspar's chest, about two inches from his heart. His body twitched, making him the only one who could move a muscle in this room. Whether from his own free will or not.

Van Garrett finally moved to pull the sword out, putting his face in full view of his witnesses. The face of a man who was here….but psychologically _not _here at this moment.

A moment that now saw Gaspar trying to turn to his family, before falling to his knees and toppling over on his back.

His family could see his chest was moving up and down, so he was still breathing.

Just not very well.


	27. Temporary Insanity

"PAPA!"

Elsa heard Anna's scream echoing in her head. She knew it wouldn't even be close to the last time she heard it.

She saw her mother rush to her fallen husband's side, right along with Anna. She watched Anna hug his head and hold it in her lap, and watched Malin try to cover the wound in his chest. She even vaguely made out the words of comfort, fear and sorrow they gave him.

And yet Elsa couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She couldn't do anything in the midst of all….this.

She was frozen again, like when Van Garrett attacked her character in the courtyard. Like when he made her conceal her powers while holding Anna hostage. Like when he stabbed….

Why wasn't she moving? Why didn't she move then? Why didn't she freeze Van Garrett earlier, and then just unfreeze Anna if she got in the way? She could do that now, right? If she could make an icicle freeze in midair, she could have done _that_! Right?

Why didn't she? Why was this happening _now_? Why was he….._whywhywhywhywhy….._

"We've gotta get him out of here!" Anna yelled, settling Gaspar's head on the ground. "Elsa, Mama, what do we do? Do we pick him up, do we get help, WHAT DO WE DO?!"

If Elsa was incapable of helping, Malin was barely any better. At least she was moving around and trying to stop further blood loss, but that was it.

She barely got to her feet. Barely looked back at a paralyzed Elsa. Barely looked at the open door. Barely worked out how long it would take to carry Gaspar through the tunnels. Barely had enough left for anything.

Then she went and saw Van Garrett looking at Anna, with that sword still in his hands. A sword he was getting a better grip on. While looking at Anna.

Then Malin moved again.

Or rather, her right arm moved back.

Her body took two steps forward before her right arm came forward with it. It didn't stop until the fist attached landed below Van Garrett's jaw.

The force of the upper cut made Van Garrett fly off the ground for a moment. He landed on his back yet again, the sword now out of his hands. It still didn't deter Malin from landing another knockout blow to the jaw.

Once Malin recovered, she looked at the sword next to him, dead set on picking it up. But if she held it for more than a second, she knew she wouldn't put it down until….there were more than 10 pieces of Van Garrett left. Sadly, there wasn't time to make that happen yet.

So Malin picked up the sword for a half second before throwing it away, from Van Garrett and her family and everyone. Willing herself to focus, she ordered, "We have to get Gaspar out of here!"

"But….we don't know if it's safe out there yet," Anna realized.

"We have to try!" Malin rationalized. Somehow, she rationalized an actual plan out of that. "Anna, go find Sven! Bring him here! We'll get your father to a bed a lot faster on reindeer! Then we'll get every physician we have!"

"Okay, okay, that sounds okay," Anna half-rambled.

In the meantime, Van Garrett's eyes opened while everyone else's eyes were on each other. He could see the sword was too far away now.

But his dagger wasn't.

"Elsa, help me pick him up," Malin commanded. "We'll get him out of the room, then you put ice in the doorway and seal Tomas in!"

Elsa still wasn't moving anyway.

_Why can't I move? Why can't I save anyone? Why can't you ever save anyone? Why does he have to be dying, why why why why?_

"Elsa?" Anna failed to get through to her. But she could only bare so much herself. Looking at her dying father, struggling to stay awake - just _awake_, it had to be – wasn't something she could do anymore. Not while watching Elsa….zone out at the same time.

Mama was right, she had to go get Sven. Get Kristoff. Get doctors, get anyone that would make Papa fine again. He'd be fine, they had him, they were still together, they would always be together, him and them….

Anna began reciting this in her head as she turned. It was all that gave her power to start making her way out.

It didn't give her the power to hear the charging footsteps behind her. Or her mama's warning.

The sight of Van Garrett diving for Anna did make Elsa move a few muscles. But that was it.

Even as her brain screamed _Anna! Anna look out, please save her, please save someone, please don't kill her too, please please please…._

Anna screamed out loud as Van Garrett dove, grabbed her leg and made her topple over. Malin's screaming turned into growls as she charged for her daughter. Van Garrett's growls were louder and crazier, however, as he put the dagger against Anna's bare leg and stopped Malin in her tracks.

"Nobody move!" he demanded, pressing the dagger on Anna's bare skin while getting on his feet. He then grabbed Anna's hair and lifted her up as well.

_Don't kill her, don't you kill her too, don't kill any of them, I'll kill you…._

Once again, Van Garrett was on his feet with Anna under his knife. Both Malin and Elsa were facing them as he backed him and Anna towards the open doorway. Gaspar was still lying behind them, his eyes still open enough to watch, but his body too broken to talk.

_No more, no more, no more, I'll kill you, no more…._

Van Garrett could have taken Anna and ran out of Arendelle while everyone tried to save Gaspar. But he wasn't capable of thinking that clearly. There was nothing in his mind but white hot, indiscriminate rage now.

_I'll kill you, I'll kill anyone with you, I'll show you a real monster. What's the point of hiding it anymore? No point, no more, just make it stop….I don't care how anymore._

Van Garrett stopped in his tracks and faced Anna. Neither of them were going anywhere.

_Make it stop, you make it stop…._

"Death to _all _usurpers," he informed Anna.

_Stop it, stop it, STOP IT!_

The dagger curled upward against Anna's chin, on the brink of drawing blood.

_NO MORE!_

Van Garrett blinked.

The next time he opened his eyes, the entire room was frozen solid.

Not the people. Just everything around them. The walls, the floors, the roof, even the tables – all solid ice that quickly.

Van Garrett couldn't believe this sudden shift. Neither did Anna or Malin. But when Van Garrett wasn't holding up his dagger anymore, Anna took action.

She merely elbowed Van Garrett in the stomach and ran towards Elsa. "Come on, Elsa!" Anna urged – until she actually saw her.

When Van Garrett could stand up straight again, he really saw Elsa too. Everyone did by then – even Gaspar.

They all saw her standing still, in front of Van Garrett and seemingly in a trance. This wasn't a trance of shock, fear or denial. When she opened her eyes, it was clear she was in a trance of the most bone chilling rage known to man, woman, king or queen.

She wasn't even breathing heavily, if she was breathing. Her teeth weren't showing in anger, and her eyes weren't moving. They barely looked alive.

This was nothing compared to how she looked when attacking the Duke's men. Or how she looked when she lashed out at her parents last night. She wasn't in control those times.

She never truly wanted to kill either time.

"Elsa?" Anna asked quietly, as her fear grew with everyone else's. Malin still knew better enough to take Anna away and bring them back to Gaspar, hoping that would be far away from….whatever was coming.

By the time they got there, everything around them was freezing harder. Yet Malin and Anna managed to notice a patch of ice appearing over Gaspar's wound.

They also saw the frozen tables in the war room shatter into a hundred pieces.

Van Garrett finally took this as a cue to flee. Yet Elsa formed a wall of ice to block the doorway much faster. It stretched out to both walls, leaving no way around it and no way out.

By then, the rest of the ice was changing colors. There was a deep red glow that blanketed the entire room, then it turned yellow. It went back to red as Van Garrett looked up and heard crackling on the icy roof.

A roof that now had a giant ice shard coming out of it. And stretching towards Van Garrett.

He had to lie on his back as the icicle spike stretched all the way down to the floor, stopping two inches shy of his head. He tried to slide away sideways, but another spike forged and grew out towards him. Wherever he tried to crawl to, another ice shard came from the roof and pinned him down.

There was no way for him to get up or crawl away – not without the tips of several giant icicles inches from his body. It was all contained to the front of the room, away from Elsa and the rest of the family.

"Elsa!" Anna called, but she didn't acknowledge her. Malin merely kept her right arm around her, while her left hand stayed on Gaspar's body. There was nothing else any of them could do now.

Van Garrett could only look up at the deadly ice tips pinning him to the ground. One of them came down and touched his forehead. With one more command, Elsa could drive that tip and more right through his body.

But she wasn't making it that easy.

The giant icicles suddenly melted, dropping freezing cold water right on Van Garrett. He gasped and shivered uncontrollably, as the fear, cold and water could have frozen him there.

He got some courage back when he saw he wasn't far from his sword now.

Yet Elsa saw it too.

Right as Van Garrett got up and started running for the sword, a giant icicle rose up from the floor this time. It blocked his way to the sword, with two more big spikes appearing next to it. When he turned to Elsa and started moving towards her, she finally moved her arms.

With a wave, she surrounded Van Garrett with a whole circle of icicles on the floor. They soon grew in size and towered over him, as a few more even rose up inside the circle with him. But there was enough room for Elsa to make the untouched ice in the circle rise up – with Van Garrett still on top of it.

Once he got his balance, the block of ice and the spikes all melted on cue – dooming him to a 20-foot fall down.

He fell on his back, his head hitting the frozen solid ground and knocking him out. With all the blows he had taken tonight, let alone the last few minutes, it was a wonder he wasn't in a coma. Maybe he already was. However, no one dared to hope that much.

Anna had a flicker of hope that Elsa would snap out of it now. Yet Elsa wasn't moving, the ice wasn't melting, and the room was still glowing red and yellow. There was still no moving her.

After a minute, Van Garret moved slowly but surely. He put his hands on his head, groaning from the intense pain all over. Still, he barely managed to flip himself around and get on his knees.

When he put his hands down, Anna and Malin saw a difference in him. The mad glint in his eyes was gone, and he looked like he had a grasp of sanity again. Perhaps it was just the pain or the blows to the head doing this, but it was an improvement by comparison.

Once he could look up, he was able to see Malin and Anna next to a body. It looked like he was seeing it for the first time – even though he was responsible.

Van Garrett then saw they weren't looking at him anymore. He only saw what they did when Elsa grabbed him by the throat.

Elsa's cold hand around his neck froze his breath in every way. But instead of strangling him, she put her other hand under his arm and forced him back on his feet. The second he stood, Elsa forced him to walk forward towards Gaspar's body.

The closer he got to it, the more confused he looked. Elsa didn't care, as she shoved him down and put him back on his knees, facing the injured king.

"What…." Van Garrett gasped out, as if he didn't know what he'd done. Maybe he didn't. But Elsa wouldn't let him forget. As if the sight of his paling body, his unsteady breathing, his half open eyes and the blood below the ice wasn't sinking in enough.

"Look at him!" Elsa finally spoke, her voice almost too ferocious to be recognized. She clenched Van Garrett's head so it couldn't turn away. "You did this to the man who saved your life! To my father! To Anna's father, Malin's _husband _and Arendelle's _KING!_"

"That's not….he didn't….I didn't…." Van Garrett babbled, now that it actually hit him.

"You committed treason for him, and he's dying! My father is dying! BECAUSE OF YOU!" Elsa screamed, all but throwing him onto his back.

Van Garrett sat up, only to see Gaspar's body again. The body of the man who spared his life, for whatever reason – and who he couldn't spare in return. A man he did everything in the name of….and then when he made him stop, he….

….did _that_?

"No…." Van Garrett began mumbling again. Under a much different kind of denial this time. "No, no…." he kept going as he got to his feet, backing up from everyone. But he still couldn't tear his eyes away from Gaspar, or from his eyes – and how they struggled to stay open.

Because of him.

"No, no, no!" he cried, feeling the full impact in his chest and soul now. He turned and almost hit the wall of ice blocking the way out, but he banged his fists on it anyway. As if that would break it open and allow him to run away. As if that would do anything at all.

What else could he do, though? What was there to do but keep banging and yelling, "No, no, no, no!" until he couldn't block it out any longer?

When he finally couldn't, he turned around again, leaning against the ice as his eyes darted around the royal family. After her outburst, Elsa was back to silent, chilling fury, which Malin was nearly matching herself. Anna was still snuggled against her mother, looking almost broken.

And Gaspar just wouldn't stop looking at him. Even if he might be one of the last things he ever saw. With that face that didn't even have enough power to frown at him, judge him or yell. Or condemn his would be murderer.

"Stop looking….I didn't mean….no!" Van Garrett futilely cried, sinking back to his knees. From there, he put his hands over his face so they couldn't look at him. But they were still looking. And they could all hear him crying.

For several moments, that and the low humming from the red glow were the only sounds in the room. Until Elsa started walking again.

Walking toward Van Garrett's still intact sword.

The sounds of her heels, Van Garrett's sobs and the menacing glow rang alone, until Elsa picked the sword up and gripped it in her hands. Without another sound or change in her expression, she went over to the left side of Van Garrett, with his sword still held tight.

There was no mistaking why.

When Anna figured it out, she opened her mouth to yell. The problem was, she didn't know what to yell. She couldn't even yell Elsa's name to buy time. All her emotions – her fear, rage, sadness, vengefulness, love and hate – were clogging her throat, body and mind all at once.

She wanted to yell and plead for Elsa not to do this, and yet she wanted her to. She wanted to go there and make her stop, and she wanted to stay and watch. She wanted to beg her to just leave him alone and get their father out of here, and she wanted him to see justice being done.

She felt too much. Just like she did when her parents came back. This time, she couldn't even yell or make a sound. This time, it was far, far worse.

Anna tried one more time to call Elsa's name, but nothing came out. She couldn't even feel the tears coming down on her face. At that point, Malin buried Anna's head against her chest, so she wouldn't have to watch.

Nevertheless, Malin wasn't looking away.

Gaspar didn't have much of a choice.

When Van Garrett ultimately looked up and saw her next to him, she was pressing the sword against the back of his neck.

After a second, all he did was bend his head down and make it easier for her.

Now Elsa was ready.

She'd wasted enough time, even before he stabbed her father. It was time to get on with it. He should have been frozen or left to die last night, then none of this would have happened.

She almost wished he would come at her again, so she would lose her desire to make this quick.

Yet he wasn't moving as she raised the sword up. He kept sitting there, his head in perfect position, ready to die.

Almost….wanting to die.

He probably knew there was no way out, so he was giving up now. Coward.

Giving up with that look of….sorrow, self-hatred, and clear desire to get this over with. Get _himself_ over with.

It was a look Elsa had never seen before.

_Felt _was another matter.

For that moment, she was back at the fjord. Lying on her knees, hearing the sound of an oncoming sword….in fact, quietly begging for it. Begging inside to die, so she wouldn't have to live with killing Anna. Begging for the monster in her to finally be punished.

Now there was another monster on his knees. Another monster who killed the only person he'd ever loved for years. Who betrayed himself, all in the misguided belief that it would save the person he loved. Who still killed him anyway, for all his efforts. All because he lost control of emotions he couldn't bury any longer.

Now he wanted to die for it. Thought he deserved to.

And now _she _was on the verge of killing such a person. Just like….

_No_.

Elsa didn't mean to kill Anna. Van Garrett was of sound mind – somewhat – when he stabbed her father. Anna hadn't died then – _yet_ - and Elsa was tricked into thinking she had. Gaspar….wasn't actually dead yet now.

He never should have been close.

Elsa kept the sword up and tightened her grip, knowing this wasn't a Hans like murder. In fact, since she was already Queen, she could legally kill him for his treason.

She had every right to do this. Every right to kill him and punish his allies and show everyone this would never be tolerated again.

Even if she had to scare people to do it. Even if she had to kill traitors. Even if she had to….

….rule by fear and death. The very things she worked so hard not to do for years.

No. This was still different. It had to be, this was…..this was her _father_. Her father's attempted killer. And she'd just gotten him back! She'd wasted so much time even when he got back! And now….

….now one of the last things he might see was his daughter chopping a man's head off.

His daughter becoming a killer.

The daughter he'd helped lock away from the world for a decade, so she couldn't kill anyone.

And look what that did. It made her suppress her rage and anger over it so much, it finally came out last night – and wasted the next to last night she might have with Gaspar.

At least now she could take that rage out on a real target. This time in the name of her father.

It's not like he was in a position to tell her no anyway. Because of _him_.

In the name of Gaspar, she would avenge him. Even if that wasn't something he ever taught her to do. Despite how he taught her to fear those she loved, lock them out, ignore them, suppress everything about herself, hate herself….

…..after she turned eight, anyway.

Before that….

….he was the man who taught her how to love.

The man who first raised her to treat people with proper respect, dignity and a warm heart. To protect them from those with dark hearts. To give everything to a kingdom and to family.

He was the man who taught her to read and love learning. Who corrected her and set her right when she wasn't a good big sister right away. Who showed her that power and titles were worth nothing without family and loved ones to share them with. Who taught her how to share and never be greedy – even if Anna didn't follow those lessons every time.

He taught her every good thing she carried with her during the isolation, and beyond. And the things her mother taught wouldn't have been possible, if her father wasn't wise enough to marry her.

Whatever good things Elsa had inside her, she had them because she was raised right those first eight years. Because her father set the example.

The example she lived by….even in the next 13 years.

Why didn't she want to become a monster? Why didn't she want to use her powers any way she wanted, no matter who it hurt? Why did she love her family so much, she wanted to spare them from her?

Why did she want to stay good, kind, merciful, loving – even human – through all that misery? When the opposite would have made everything easier?

Because her father showed her right from wrong. Because her father inspired her to choose being good. Because he passed on the true value of choosing good over evil, kindness over cruelty, brains over brawn, family over selfishness and love over fear.

He passed on every value that made her fight so hard to stay good and human, even all alone. Even when she was so convinced she was losing. Even when she forgot the love over fear lesson.

She still never would have had so much pent up, thawing love in her heart without it. Or without Anna or her mother. And not without a father who gave her those things. A father who gave her every decent part of her she had.

Every decent part that kept her from being a monster for 13 years. That shone so bright for Anna and Arendelle after the Great Thaw.

Anna made her warm again – but Elsa was only warm in the first place because of their father.

His mistakes nearly created a monster. And everything else he ever did for Elsa – every act and lesson of love – made it possible for her not to become one anyway. Every act of love and sacrifice she ever gave to and for Anna, Arendelle and her friends, was only possible because she inherited _his_ heart.

Now, at what could be the end…._this _was what he would see as the final fruit of his labor. And all his sacrifices.

_No more_.

Elsa's eyes closed as her face morphed into a kind of….serenity. A serenity that hadn't even been seen during the Great Thaw.

The thaw of the war room wasn't quite as great. But it might have been just as miraculous.

It was certainly more awe inspiring than the thaw Gaspar and Malin saw last night. Although she said she thawed the Great Hall out of love, there was much anger and spite involved too.

But there was no anger and spite in how the walls, floor and roof was thawing. How the colors were changing back to normal. And in how Elsa was under control. In fact, she had never shown as much control as right now, as her whole being reverted back to normal.

For Elsa, normal was putting her entire soul and mind into doing good for Arendelle, and her family. To be worthy of their love and devotion. To be a shining example that all her people could live by, and be even better than. To be the kind of example her father once was – _still _was – for her.

As the wall of ice in front of everyone evaporated, Elsa finally felt like something close to that example.

Because King Gaspar's daughter was not a killer. Not for any reason or person.

Neither was Queen Malin's daughter.

Or Olaf and Marshmallow's mother.

Or Kristoff's….maybe big sister-in-law _someday_.

Or Arendelle's Queen.

Or especially Anna's big sister.

To do otherwise – to dishonor the man who made it possible for Elsa to be these wonderful things – was unthinkable. From now on. And forever.

Once Elsa felt the last bit of ice dissolve into nothingness, she opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was the sword, still raised above her head – giving her one last thing to freeze. After the sword was iced, she threw it on the now dry ground and watched it shatter into pieces.

"What are you doing?"

Elsa could now look at the shattered man next to her. A man she couldn't kill – but couldn't forgive either.

What would be the worst punishment, then?

What was the worst punishment _she _could have gotten in his shoes?

With that thought, she knew _exactly _what she wanted to do.

Now that nothing blocked the door, Elsa took Van Garrett's wrist, got him on his feet and went down the tunnels. She hoped it wouldn't take too long to find...

"Your Majesty!" And it didn't. In fact, six armed, fully uniformed guards were coming right to her.

"The castle and the mercenaries are all secured, Your Majesty," the first guard informed.

"Good," Elsa showed full command. "Unfortunately, there's still more to do. King Gaspar has been stabbed. By Prime Minister Van Garrett."

Elsa only let them process their shock for a second. "I want two of you in the war room, to help the Queen and Anna carry my father out. I want two more of you to find Kristoff and Sven, so they can get my father to the nearest bed. Have all of the nearest physicians meet them there."

Two guards rushed to the war room as instructed, as the next two went down the other end of the tunnel. The last two remained for their orders.

"You are to take the Prime Minister to the dungeons. And you are to _keep _him there. No matter what," Elsa decided. "Whatever happens to my father, he will not be harmed. Not by you, me, the people….or himself. Or anyone. _Ever_."

"What….?" Van Garrett gasped, as the horror of her order dawned on him.

Just like 21 years ago, a royal spared him from the harshest punishment for his crimes.

But he didn't see it that way at all. Exactly as Elsa intended.

"You can't!" he objected. "I committed, I need to….you can't give that order! Your Majesty!"

Elsa mentally rolled her eyes at how he used that term _now_. Van Garrett physically sank to his knees one last time, in complete desperation. "Your Majesty, please! Kill me!"

But all Elsa did was take a step back from him.

Nothing else on her face suggested she even acknowledged him.

As menacing as Elsa looked moments ago, this look was far chillier. It was the look of pure indifference. Not her Queenly blank look, not a look of anger, and certainly not one of pity. She was just….utterly done with him.

Like he wasn't worth wasting any more thought or emotion over. And he wasn't.

Which meant anything he wanted – like a quick death, or death of any kind – would not be considered. Not while she was alive. Which now stood to be a long, long time.

As such, every emotion from Van Garrett's body drained out of him as well. But unlike Elsa, his emotions weren't coming back. Not willingly.

It was an empty, quiet shell of a man that the guards lifted back up, and led down the tunnels from Elsa's sight. And from the sight of the newly arriving royal family – and the guards now carrying their wounded king.

"What happened?" Malin asked. "I heard him plead for death, but I saw him still alive."

"Exactly," was all Elsa said.

"Why?" Malin looked and sounded horrified. "After what he did to your father?! To all of us?! You just….you just let him off easy!"

But Anna finally found her voice again – and a clear head as well. "No, she didn't," she understood with a proud smile.

Elsa's mask cracked enough for a tiny smile, before remembering to evaporate the ice on Gaspar's wound – saving the doctors some work. The guards promptly went down the tunnel as Elsa, Anna and Malin followed – with Anna's smile fading faster than Elsa's.

"Are you all right?" Elsa asked a fairly dumb question. But it was the only one she could.

"Elsa, I was so scared," she whispered. "I tried to stay calm every time he was gonna cut me….but inside…." She still let out a teary laugh. "I liked how I wasn't calm before you broke in, though."

"I can imagine," Elsa was actually happy to.

"I tried to look strong and act strong…..I tried to be just like you," Anna admitted. "But after…."

"You've always been so much stronger than me," Elsa promised. Yet she wasted time trying to be like her.

But if Elsa got the building blocks of her strength from Gaspar, and Anna got hers from Elsa….it was much more flattering.

"We're going to be okay, Anna," Elsa channeled her father. "We all are. I'm so sorry we weren't….and I'm so sorry you….saw me like _that_."

"I like seeing you now," Anna assured. "I loved how I saw you there. At the end. I know he did too….I could see it and I knew it and now he's just gotta say it…."

Anna tried to keep it in and be strong, like Elsa would, even if she didn't feel it. When she couldn't, Elsa tried to sooth her, rub her back and kiss her forehead, like Gaspar would. But the fact still was that he couldn't now.

They both barely heard Kristoff ride in on Sven and finally see it for himself. Or felt Malin lead them out of the tunnels, while Kristoff rode out with Gasper in his arms.


	28. A Matter of Time

The bedroom closest to the passageway was Gaspar and Malin's old room. Of course it was.

So that was where Gaspar laid as physicians rushed to treat him. To the two young women, former Queen, mountain man, snowman and reindeer waiting outside the room, seconds went by as slow as minutes, while minutes went as slow as days.

After what ultimately felt like a week – but over an hour in reality – the castle physician finally came out. All those who helped him during the procedures followed, yet he was the only one who stayed to face the family.

"Doctor, what happened?" Elsa got to the point.

"He's still breathing," the doctor started. "But if that sword was an inch to the left, he wouldn't have lasted this long. As it stands, it was close enough to his heart and lungs. Between that, the blood loss and the internal bleeding…."

"If you'd gotten to him a few minutes earlier….if we'd gotten him out a few minutes earlier….would that have…." Elsa failed to finish asking whether the time wasted on her little….breakdown might have made her father weaker.

"I don't think that made a difference. It actually meant more that you froze your father's wound," the doctor credited. "It bought us time to try what we could. But…."

"But what? Why is there a but?" Anna made herself ask.

"All we could do is keep him alive right now. Give him more time. There's no safe procedure we can do to give him more than that," the doctor said.

"What about the unsafe ones?" Malin kept her voice loud without managing to yell.

"By the time we'd be ready, it wouldn't matter," the doctor disclosed.

"So keeping your King alive doesn't matter?!" Kristoff lashed out first. "Or old King, whatever!"

"Mr. Bjorgman, Your Majesties…." The doctor sighed. "What we're dealing with isn't a matter of survival. What it is now is a matter of time." He paused and finished, "Time you shouldn't waste talking to me."

After a second, Malin took that advice. She rushed into it by running to the door, throwing it open and racing to her old bed.

A bed which Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven could now see clearly. Right down to the sight of the weakened King lying there. With his Queen now at the bedside, trying and failing to say something before she broke down.

Everyone else was eight feet away from the open door. But to everyone, it felt like 8,000 feet now.

"You're lying," Elsa broke the silence in the hallways. "Or you're just wrong. If you're saying these are….these are the last few minutes….this is the last time…." she sputtered as the floor got icy.

"Elsa, I don't think you can do that….not when we go in there…." Kristoff carefully pointed to the ground.

"Don't tell me how to mourn my father! I've done it enough already!" Elsa exploded, the ice spreading further along the way. "Once was supposed to be _enough_!"

"Elsa!" Anna grabbed her, stopping her yelling and keeping her own balance all at once. "He's right! You can't go in if you're gonna freeze the room! And if you can't…." She held back just enough to say, "I can't say goodbye to him without you again….please…."

That little reminder could have easily broken Elsa. A lot of her probably was already. Yet she had no choice but to put herself together – or at least come down from a freezing kind of broken.

Even though she failed at it the first time.

This time, Anna was there to hold her hands, despite shivering from far more than Elsa's cold. Although Anna was seconds away from breaking down herself, she kept holding onto Elsa, eventually seeing the ice recede as a payoff.

Once enough of it was gone, she felt safe enough to help Elsa take a step forward. Soon they were at the threshold, with Anna looking back and forth between the bed inside, and Elsa right on the outside. If there was no time to waste, then how much time could she take getting Elsa the rest of the way?

"I've got her," Kristoff offered right on time. "You go in," he told Anna.

Anna tried to show gratitude on her face, but it probably still looked more like grief. If it looked even worse than Elsa's current grieving face, perhaps they did need distance. But if Anna couldn't even look at that, how could she stand to look at her father dyi….

"I'm right behind you," Elsa got out anyway.

With one more hand squeeze, Anna could let go and head for the bed. By the end, she raced to it, but slowed down when she finally saw her father.

Elsa looked away by necessity, now leaning on Kristoff for support. Despite yelling at him moments ago, here he was with her. And with a nudge on her leg, Elsa felt Olaf squeezing in too. She swore she felt Sven's gaze on the back of her head too.

Taking a breath, Elsa stepped forward without any ice showing under her feet. With one more step, she was officially in her parents' old bedroom for the first time in over seven months.

That was when she all but declared them dead to her in every way. Back when she thought they were actually both dead. Had been supposedly killed far away from her and Anna.

Seconds later, everyone was mere feet away from the dying king.

Anna was lying on the bed, to the right of Gaspar's pale, still body. Malin was still standing to the left of the bed, with Kristoff, Elsa and Olaf behind her.

Gaspar's hands were folded on his chest, which was barely rising and falling. His eyes were still half open, struggling to glance at all the people surrounding him. None of them even knew if he could still talk, so they didn't know how to start themselves.

But he managed to break the ice first.

"My family…." he got out, weak but still strong enough to make his voice carry.

"Should I go, then?" Kristoff asked. "Should this just be….family only?"

"It already is…." Gaspar said, looking right at Kristoff and Olaf to make it clearer.

"Peepaw?" Olaf asked. "We all love you. So that act of true love should melt you and make you better! Right?" he finished with a cracked voice.

"Not for this…." Gaspar deflated this. "But all things considered….I think I'm better anyway…."

"How can you say that?" Anna pleaded. "You're dying! Again! You've gotta try those unsafe procedures! You gotta kiss Mama, in case that _does _fix stuff like this! You gotta do anything but, but…well, you can't do _this _again! Not for real!"

Anna closed her eyes, hoping that would seal her tears up, but a few escaped anyway. When she opened up, she saw the pained looks on Elsa and Malin's faces – and one on Gaspar that he didn't have moments ago.

"I'm sorry I made it worse," Anna chided herself. "That's all I've ever done for you, and now…."

"Anna…." Gaspar broke through her sadness with one gentle use of her name. As he did whenever she scraped herself as a child – so many times. Yet as….scraped as he was, he seemed to be trying to comfort _her_.

"You've made everyone better….since the day you were born," Gaspar conveyed. "You made me better….when you yelled at me. Now here I am…."

"Dying," Anna finished for him.

"I've had worse deaths," Gaspar corrected. "I died at sea….died in fear, just as I lived….with my scared wife…and my broken daughters at home…." He made a noise that sounded like a cough, but came to resemble a hacking laugh. "It's so…._ridiculous_ how we survived!"

Malin put a hand on his chest, fearing he needed to calm down while he still could. But Gaspar steadied himself to continue. "But we did. And I lived long enough to see….the most incredible things." To Anna, he recounted, "I saw the most fearless, loving Princess Arendelle's ever seen…."

Looking up at Malin, he noted, "I remembered my own Queen again…." For Kristoff and Olaf, he said, "I even met two princes…."

He saved Elsa for last. "And I saw a magical Queen….use such love and control….I was too foolish to ever dream of….and that's how I knew."

There was something resembling a smile on Gaspar now. "How I knew….I'm dying and _this _time.…there's _nothing_ to be scared of." He added at the end, "For anyone."

"You shouldn't have to _die _for us to know that," Malin objected. "Our daughters aren't the only ones who just got you back…."

Gaspar didn't have a handy silver lining for that. Or any other words. But Malin couldn't think of any helpful ones herself.

She merely leaned down until they were touching foreheads. She gave him a brief little kiss, then saw the tears forming in his eyes. Other than keeping her own tears from literally raining on him, Malin figured the least she could do was wipe his away.

"You two had a full life together. Through _everything_," Elsa assured them. "Not everyone can say that."

"We can't," Anna was less subtle. "We wasted 13 years not being together, just the four of us. We wasted this whole month too! Except for _one _afternoon we never should have had! If we'd just left the palace right away and froze him, then…." She went on to lament, "Now we'll _never_ know what it's like!"

"You had _some _time together…." Kristoff hoped he pointed out correctly.

"Not like it was! Not when we were _all _together with _no _secrets to hide! From anyone! Not when there was _nothing_ but love between us! We hadn't had a _day _like that in 13 years!" Anna said. "All we got was a few hours! We'll never know….what days, months or years could have been like…."

"Not outside our dreams," Elsa picked up. "Our fantasies. The ones that were too painful to keep thinking about. But they never went away. Never really left our heads…."

Elsa was getting lost in her head, in spite of how it wasn't wise to daydream now. Yet she reached into her memory – or at least the images and fantasies she _wished _could have been memories.

Thinking about these things now should have crushed her. They almost crushed her during the worst parts of the isolation. After the ship wreck, their taunting lack of reality made it tempting to….not think anymore.

Imagine what it could do now….or after….

_No_. Imagination was all they had. And there were better ways to use it. If only at the end.

Her mind made up, Elsa walked away from Malin, Kristoff and Olaf, standing next to the left end of the bed. She looked up at the center of the bedroom – which was just roomy enough.

"Anna, Mama," Elsa started instructing. "You keep an eye on him. If he….starts fading, you stop me no matter what. Otherwise….I need him and all of you to see this."

Elsa blocked out their reactions and questions, needing to concentrate more than ever before. More than in any thaw.

In those times, loving memories fueled her powers, but these….imaginary memories that would never come true would be far trickier. To say nothing of how she would bring them to life.

But if she could refrain from killing Van Garrett, she could do this. If she could thaw a kingdom right after 13 straight years of misery, she could do this. She could do anything for her Papa.

This was one of the few times she would do something the _right _way for him. To give him, at the last second, what none of them had for so long.

A life together.

That was all it took, as Elsa went deep into her mind, raised her hands, and went to work.

Gusts of winds and a collection of snowflakes burst into the air, flying above for all to see. The wind and flakes started coming together to make shapes – two little ones, in fact. It didn't take long for those shapes to look quite familiar.

Everyone soon made them out as eight-year-old Elsa and five-year-old Anna.

Adult Elsa let another wintery gust fly around her floating creations. Soon, that gust morphed into full blown scenery. What's more, the little Elsa and Anna were moving around and playing now.

Like they were on….that night.

Like a composer, Elsa was making the little versions of their sisters play around, with little snow Anna jumping up on hills. Like in reality, little Anna soon jumped too high.

Unlike in reality, little Elsa made a pile of snow for her to land on.

Then adult Elsa made two more creations of wind and snow appear.

They floated into view and picked up the little girls – just like their human counterparts did for their human children.

But in this setting, they could do it for them both after they turned eight and five.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gaspar's eyes opened wider than they'd been since the stabbing. Seeing a version of his young self – even one made of winter - who could hug his _two_ little girls again was….just too awe inspiring. To say nothing of seeing a young Malin with them.

When Elsa sent more wind out, it forged into a recreation of the castle hall, with the recreations of young Anna, Gaspar and Malin walking down it. Young Anna stopped in front of a door, and seemed to be knocking on it – until it disappeared to reveal the young Elsa.

Who ran towards her sister and her parents to hug them.

It all washed over Gaspar as Elsa's recreations – her fantasies – kept coming to life. He and everyone else saw her make these wintery impersonators play together in the Great Hall. Eat together with everyone so full of life. Cross the open gates.

Elsa then made the little Elsa and Anna grow – and still they were with their parents.

A 10-year old Elsa was made to put on gloves – before putting her hands in snow and throwing a regular, non-magical snowball at 7-year-old Anna.

An 11-year-old Elsa was riding the same bike as an 8-year-old Anna, and barely staying upright.

A 12-year-old Elsa and nine-year-old Anna were on a boat, sailing safely with their parents and going out into the world.

A young Gaspar had a 13-year-old Elsa and 10-year-old Anna on his knees in his study, showing them all his royal work. Adult Elsa even had young Anna barely keep her eyes open, except when making faces for the _very slightly _amused young Elsa.

She then created a scene where a young Malin hugged a shivering, 14-year-old Elsa in her bed. 11-year-old Anna even raced by and hugged them both excitedly, making them both shake with laughter.

The next thing everyone saw were the wintery spirits of Gaspar and Malin dancing, during a big ball that included 15-year-old Elsa and 12-year-old Anna. On that image, Malin caught herself from crying and put herself on the bed, laying on Gaspar's left while Anna watched with glossy eyes on his right.

Once Gaspar tore his eyes away from the concert up above to see the human Anna and Malin, he looked at the living Elsa. She was still waving her hands with precision, making the wind obey her every thought and re-enact her every fantasy, of the life that was taken away from her. From all of them.

But for this one moment, they could see what might have been. And for just this one moment, it was okay.

Her powers made it okay.

The fact he only saw that _now _shattered him. The fact he lived long enough to see it at all uplifted him.

Gaspar could then forget that the wintery beings in the air weren't his family. In his mind's eye, he could see them as their true past, human selves. As if their actions had actually happened.

As if 16-year-old Elsa really made it snow in the Great Hall for her family, and all the servants at her birthday party.

As if 14-year-old Anna talked to a picture of Joan of Arc, with Elsa, Gaspar and Malin watching her, as if they were her class.

As if Gaspar and Malin really came down to the docks, to hug 18-year-old Elsa and 15-year-old Anna on their return home from sea.

The real Gaspar looked back and forth between the real Elsa and her creations. Even with silent tears running down her face, Elsa made her show continue. Even with silent tears down his face, and with his breathing getting more difficult, Gaspar took her completely in.

He also took in the view of the life he should have had these past three years.

He took in the sight above of him, Malin and Elsa spoiling a 16-year-old, bedridden Anna after she had an accident.

He took in 19-year-old Elsa studying at a desk, until Gaspar, Malin and Anna all threw snowballs at her to make her take a break – and living to regret it when she forged three giant snowballs over their heads.

He watched a 20-year-old Elsa forge the ice palace at the North Mountain – this time not after a disastrous coronation. And this time with Gaspar, Malin and a 17-year-old Anna watching the creation in awe.

When it came time to reenact the coronation, Elsa made it so her seven-months-ago self was calmly and gracefully decorated as crown princess, with Gaspar, Malin and Anna in attendance. She even had a wintery spirit version of Kristoff come by and deliver ice, to which Anna took great interest in – ignoring a version of Hans in the process.

To that, Anna finally laughed a tearful laugh next to Gaspar. He savored that musical laugh, knowing he might never get to again. But he would carry it as long as he could.

Just like he would carry the final vision of him, Malin, Elsa and Anna walking down the courtyard together, to the joy of their people. The recreation of Elsa then began making little sculptures of its own, as the real one did in the real courtyard a month ago.

In this re-enactment, Gaspar and Malin weren't hiding in the crowd. In this version, they were front and center with Anna, and front and center to hug Elsa when her show ended.

In this vision, it was just another happy day for the long united royal family.

Elsa killed at least a few parts of herself to bury these dreams over the last 13 years. But now, indulging her imagination of the life they didn't have – by giving Gaspar _one _way to experience 13 years with both his daughters – wasn't a curse.

It was her parting gift to him.

Once the fantasies were done, Elsa couldn't block that out any longer.

She promptly collapsed to her knees as the wind and her creations dissolved. After they were gone, she hugged herself and breathed erratically, the toll of using so much magic and control – and blocking out so much regret in the process – now impossible to contain.

Malin and Kristoff reached Elsa before Anna could, as they lifted her on her feet and brought her to the bed, so she could lie next to her father. The moment she was by his side, she buried her face in his neck, crying all the tears she built up since the stabbing.

Anna got up and ran over to hug Elsa from behind. Yet she just kept crying on her father, her voice muffled as she sobbed, "I'm sorry, Papa, I'm sorry….I love you….please don't go…."

Gaspar could only lean his face forward and kiss the top of Elsa's head, while mustering the strength for a few more words.

"I don't want to…." he confessed. "But at least….I know…._you_ know….I love you. How proud I am. How…._thankful_ I am….that you're _my _daughter. _Both_ of you."

After locking eyes with Anna on that part, Gaspar looked up at Malin again, forcing out a, "Thank you….thank you, thank you, thank you…."

Malin bent down to kiss him again, then kissed her daughters' heads as she barely kept a hold of herself. Elsa's control was barely intact, but no powers were coming out, as Anna held onto her regardless.

And as out of place as they felt – or maybe shouldn't have felt – Kristoff and Olaf stayed nearby, quietly trying to stay strong. Kristoff wasn't a crier, and Olaf had only really been sad one other time in his life. But it all barely made a difference now.

They did help Anna get back to the right side of the bed, so she and Elsa could each lay by Gaspar. For the next few minutes, their heads laid on his shoulders, watching his chest and how it only took in air every few seconds.

None of them had any words left. None good enough to keep them from crying – and possibly miss the finish.

Anna put her hand on Gaspar's stomach, seemingly trying not to hold on for dear life.

But Elsa gave her something else to hold onto.

She put her own hand into Anna's, clasping it with every last bit of courage and control she had left. "I'm here…." Elsa told her, like she was Anna's echo from the past.

Anna squeezed back - at long last having a hand to hold, other than her own, at such a despairing time.

They stared at their entwined hands – until they saw something approaching over them.

Gaspar's hands had been folded on his chest for some time. Yet with all his remaining strength, he lifted up his right hand and hovered it over his daughters' hands, before laying it on top of them.

Even that was almost too much for Gaspar, at least physically. Physically and emotionally, he tried to hold on for just one more thing.

He couldn't turn or move his head, but he ignored his blurry eyes and his limited air to look to his left. He gave himself two seconds to look at Anna, before his eyes moved to the right.

Whatever will power he had left, he used to keep his eyes open and look at his wife one last time,

Whatever power he had left after that, he used to make himself look at Elsa. To try and look at her with such love, she would never doubt she was loved ever again.

With the three of them together again, how could they?

And then…..

There was no more to see or think.

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When Kai, Gerda and the physicians came into the bedroom later, they saw it all but completely frozen. There were snowflakes suspended in the air, complete with bitter cold and no sounds but muffled tears.

Elsa stopped crying long enough to thaw the floor, but that was it. She almost froze it again when they tried to carry her father's body away.

Yet she and Anna let him go, with Malin and Kristoff reluctantly going to make sure he was taken care of. They even more reluctantly let Elsa and Anna stay inside, to morn together.

When the door closed, the room completely froze over again. But the sisters were already numb enough.

The ice didn't thaw for another hour.

Anna and Elsa didn't leave the room, or each other's sides, for another six.

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**If you have the strength to re-read the last section again, I advise you to go on YouTube and find the song "Dumbledore's Farewell" from the "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" soundtrack, and play it when you get to Elsa crying after her show. Gaspar should put his hand on Elsa and Anna's at the 1:26 mark.**

**Listen to that track while re-reading and see how many extra tears you cry - with me assuming in my arrogance you cried beforehand. And not just cries of anger and murder towards me.**


	29. The Next Day

**Two months to the day that I posted chapter one – and one day before the Frozen DVD comes out – here's chapter 29. With the notice that after this, there are only two chapters left. And my early thank you to all of you is a warning that yes, the King is still dead – and not just because all of the really angsty chapters have gotten the most hits and reviews. But as I assured you, it's almost over.**

The castle of Arendelle, so filled with chaos last night and in the early morning, was a virtual ghost town after sunrise.

Cleanup from last night's battle took up some time, but no one had many words to add to the noise. Not after the news they'd heard.

The royal council chambers were empty, in spite of the horrific crisis – and newfound power vacuum – it now faced. The news was too stunning on multiple fronts for them to address.

No one had seen a trace of the current Queen and Princess for hours. All anyone knew was that after they left their parents' old room, they adjourned to the Queen's room. No one had dared to knock on it. They'd have to know what to say first, which was a much taller order.

It wasn't like there was much hustle and bustle outside the castle either.

To hear that they got their King and Queen back, only to lose the King all over again – at the hands of the Prime Minister, no less – left the townspeople befuddled. Even the ones who charged into the castle last night. But everyone was too on edge waiting for news, or the smallest answers, to celebrate them.

The kingdom was paralyzed with questions, uncertainty, grief, concern and fear all at once. At every level. No one was ready to come out and break through this fog. Not even the Queen.

Certainly not the former Queen.

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Malin went to the morgue, making the necessary arrangements for Gaspar to be stored there. She couldn't bring herself to leave, so she got what little sleep she could inside. By the time she woke up and wasn't too numb to walk away from him, it was past noon.

She walked back to the castle, out in the open and in view of passersby. She felt everyone glaring at her, unsure of what to do in her presence. Many of them had never seen the Queen, or hadn't seen her in 13 years – or had just seen her as Idina this last month.

Between that and what happened last night, no one knew how to act around her. They certainly had no clue what to say, and didn't even try.

It was even worse when Malin got into the castle. She had to walk past staff members she had worked alongside all month, while concealing her true identity. Once again, concealing came at a price – although this was a rather small one.

The servants who worked for her, and then alongside her, kept their distance out of nerves, confusion and grief. Even Gerda and Kai were at a loss on how to comfort her, let alone themselves. Or the rest of the royal family.

Malin endured the stares, pity and awkwardness of everyone until she got to the throne room. Without Elsa there and without any royal business scheduled, it was bare and private enough for her.

She stood there for several minutes, trying not to be too overwhelmed by her memories of this room. Her shared memories with him. But when she went up to the actual throne, she almost stopped kidding herself.

The only thing that stopped her from doing more was the sound of the door opening.

The only thing keeping her under control afterwards, was that she only looked at Elsa for a brief second.

Malin looked back at the throne, trying not to picture Gaspar sitting on it too much. She was only distracted by Elsa's footsteps, and a particularly nagging, painful thought that plagued her since Gaspar's last breath.

Feeling Elsa's eyes on her made it all come out. "I did this," Malin whispered.

"What?" Elsa asked just as quietly.

"I made him stay after Anna yelled at us. I made us servants. He'd be alive now if I didn't…." Malin clenched her jaw. Yet she still said through her teeth, "He isolated you, and I kept us here. I guess now we're even on plans we didn't think through."

"You heard him," Elsa got herself to remember. "He was so happy he did so much before he…." In lue of saying the rest, she finished, "He never could have done that if you left."

"We'll never know now," Malin pointed out. "There's so many things we'll never know now."

Malin gripped the throne long enough to steady herself and sit down. She got herself ready to look directly at Elsa – then felt almost as broken as Elsa looked. And that was the saddest statement of all.

For 10 years, Malin had been witness to every tragic, worn out, lifeless look Elsa had to offer. At least she prayed night after night there weren't any more of them – despite knowing in her heart it was foolish hoping. Now she had proof it was.

Even when she was terrified, at least she didn't look as drained as she was now. Although her gown was in place and not that much of her hair was a mess, there wasn't a trace of a Queen in Elsa's face. If that's how _she_ looked, then….

"Where's Anna?" Malin had to know.

"She's with Kristoff and Olaf. She needs them to help her too," Elsa stated.

"She needs her father," Malin didn't forget.

"She has so much more this time," Elsa brought up. "Them, _me_…..you?" she almost felt ashamed to ask.

Instead of confirming, Malin fell into a trance of self-reflection.

"I don't know if things are different now," she said. "But in my day, when you became Queen, you gave up your entire identity. The minute you married your King, you were nothing without him. Or your title. I know that's how it was in other kingdoms. Your father….made a real effort to be different with me."

The very slightest smile came onto Malin's face, yet even that felt so relieving to Elsa. "I know we didn't debate our….worst decision. But I had a say in others, I swear. He let me have a voice when we were active in government, he let me take part in making laws, and I could even disagree with him. As Queens go, I know I was somewhat more independent than others. But…."

The smile vanished in short order. "There was no way around it. The first thing I was known as was Gaspar's wife. Or Arendelle's Queen. If I wasn't those things….then who was I? What did I still have to offer? Now I don't have the throne, and I don't have him….so who am I to anyone other than my family? A family that has so much more than me now…."

"You're a mother again. To _both _of us," Elsa reminded her. "You can be a mother to all of Arendelle again too. Like you were before. You don't need a crown for that. You didn't need one this whole month."

"I had Gaspar," Malin said. "It's been too long since I was normal, or happy, without him by my side. At least when I was _me_. Memory loss got me through that island without him. _Now_….what if you girls aren't enough?"

Elsa wished she could say for sure it was. Then again, Anna on her own wasn't always completely enough for her – as close as she came. Being a successful queen who wasn't feared, and having people in her life other than Anna – whether they were human or not – was the last little bit that did it.

If Malin needed things other than her daughters for that last five percent too….

"There_ is_ something I need you for," Elsa offered. "At some point, I have to explain everything to the people. I need the right words, and I need to be a Queen. At least for them. There's no one else who could help me better than you. If you're able to."

As an even bolder idea formed, Elsa added, "In fact….maybe there's something else you can do after that."

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Kristoff and Olaf walked down the hall, carrying multiple boxes of chocolate each for Anna. It was the only thing they felt like they'd done right all day.

"So we're _really _not going to the trolls to heal Peepaw?" Olaf asked. "A magic resurrection and a musical number would be pretty good right now."

"They're good at healing magic. Regular old stabbings is another matter," Kristoff informed. "Plus you have to be….still alive to get healed by troll magic. He would have died on the way there, and that's no way to go."

"Magic hair! I heard something about magic hair once! That can work on dead people, right?" Olaf hoped. "Especially if the hair person's related to his daughters, right?"

"You mean Rapunzel? I swear I don't know why they keep thinking they're related," Kristoff said. "Just because she's magic and Elsa's magic, and she showed up to _one _ball….besides, she isn't even magic anymore! Plus like I said, I'm sure that magic only works on people who haven't died _yet_!"

"You don't know! There's lots of things people don't know, you know!" Olaf actually frowned. "I didn't know Elsa and Anna could suffer any more than they have! I didn't know royal reunions could only last a month, instead of forever! I didn't know Anna could look more lifeless than ice Anna! I didn't know….things could be so….unfair!"

After seeing the bright and bubbly Anna's misery all day, Kristoff should have already known that happy balls of sunshine were capable of being so sad. But that was in humans. Snowmen, especially this snowman, and especially one made with all of Elsa's buried childhood happiness and warmth, were supposed to be….different.

So many things were supposed to be different right now.

"I didn't either, buddy," Kristoff tried to comfort him, despite having barely made a dent with Anna so far. "I wish some magic twist could make this all better too. But it can't this time. He's just….not coming back."

"Then how are Elsa, Anna and Meemaw gonna get their happy ending?" Olaf asked through thick sadness.

"I don't know that either," Kristoff admitted. "Being with each other, I guess? That's the best I got."

"But Anna's not with them now, and she's not getting better!" Olaf noted.

"Then we've gotta make her better. Even if it's just a little bit. It'd still make it easier for them to finish the job," Kristoff figured. "If that's all we can do, then we'd better do it right, right?"

"Well….we did get five boxes of Anna's favorite chocolate. That's better than two or three. Maybe that'll make her smile," Olaf figured.

"Then let's go find out," Kristoff offered, going back on the road to Anna's door.

When he and Olaf reached it, Kristoff knocked – a regular knock, in case her more specific knocks were too painful. "We've got more than three boxes of chocolate. Can we come in?" Kristoff asked.

"Okay," was the small, feisty-less reply they heard behind the door. That sound was only slightly less depressing than what they saw when they opened up.

Kristoff and Olaf already saw Anna lying on her bed when they left, with her head hanging upside down over the right side of it – and her face hanging down even worse. The sadder part was that she didn't seem to have moved an inch since they left. Even when they held up their chocolate boxes, she didn't muster a twitch or a stomach growl.

Undeterred, Kristoff went forward and kneeled in front of Anna, putting down the boxes and opening one of them. "You want to catch these in your mouth? You know my aim's been getting better lately. After all the practice we've had, it's gotta be, right?" he barely held back a chuckle. "But I can't miss that much from this range."

Anna merely reached over and took a piece, eating it herself, even with her head hanging upside down. That kind of unhealthy way to eat gave Kristoff hope that Anna was still in this….shell. But when she only ate six pieces in rapid fire order, instead of the whole box, his hopes shattered again.

Once she was finished, Kristoff put down the box, sighed and conceded, "Okay, then." He then sat up against the side of the bed and next to Anna, taking her hanging right hand. Olaf followed his head and sat on the other side besides Anna, taking her hanging left hand. There, they all sat and lay in silence.

Anna took several minutes before she even squeezed their hands back. Taking that as a small win, Kristoff and Olaf didn't push their luck. Several more minutes passed by in silence, as if they were sitting with Elsa on one of her warmer days.

"I was so terrible to him."

That was a bigger win – if Anna's actual words didn't matter. But they did.

"I yelled at him, I blamed him for everything, and I never really said I was sorry. If he died a night earlier….he would have died thinking I hated him. I probably would have if…." Anna ran out of courage to go on.

"He said he was better after you yelled at him, remember?" Kristoff reminded. "That doesn't sound so terrible to me. He knew he loved you at the end."

"Then why am I still angry at him?" Anna admitted. "I thought I was _done _hating him. At least for the past, anyway! But he just…._died_ before we could have a real future! And he wasn't even mad!"

"He said he had worse deaths," Kristoff echoed.

"He shouldn't have had any! He just gave up! Just like he gave up on Elsa 13 years ago! He always gave up and made _us _suffer for it! Now look at me!" Anna yelled. "I'd rather be angry at him than….be so sad I never wanna leave my room again. So I'm _still _being terrible…."

With a shaky sigh and a little sniffle, she admitted, "Now I know why Elsa never wanted to feel. Maybe he had the right idea after all….and I'll never get to tell him."

Anna finally sat up and let go of Kristoff and Olaf's hands. They got up themselves to see her sitting still, in the odd position of being deep in thought. When she finished, she asked, "Do you think there are people at his grave? His first grave?"

"I didn't ask. Should I go ask?" Kristoff inquired.

"No, no use taking chances. We're just gonna have to make his grave ourselves. I can talk to that," Anna offered.

"Come again?" Kristoff responded. "Wouldn't you rather just go to the morgue and see him?"

"No, I'm not ready for that! Not till the funeral!" Anna insisted. "I gotta warm up on this first. I gotta decide what….horrible emotion I'd rather feel."

"Do we need Elsa or your mother for that?" Kristoff asked.

"They have enough to feel right now. I have too much," Anna said. "So Kristoff, Olaf….do you wanna build a snow grave?"

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Anna, Kristoff and Olaf went to the castle gardens, avoiding everyone else the best they could. When they knew they were alone, they went into the snow and Anna piled as much of it up as she could. Even with Kristoff and Olaf's help, she didn't know if she could make a large or accurate enough recreation of her father's gravestone.

But they did the best they could, and Anna didn't have time to nitpick. She merely stood in front of the large snow tombstone, imagining she was at her father's real one. The one that never had an actual body buried underneath – but now it finally would.

It didn't have to at all.

"You should have punched him like I did before he stabbed you," Anna told the fake grave. "You should have told Elsa to freeze him. You should have knocked him out at the fountain before we went in the castle. You should have talked us outta playing in the ice palace! You never should have made Elsa _go _to the ice palace! You….you never should have come back at all!"

Kristoff and Olaf stood back, leaving the grave to take the brunt of Anna's crossfire. "I was just getting done mourning you! I was just starting to be _happy _again! So was Elsa! We were _fine _before you came back! I was too oblivious to know how angry I was at you! I _liked _being oblivious again! You took that from me too! Every horrible thing in my life was because of _you_! Not Elsa, not even Mama, _you_!"

"Now I'm the terrible daughter again for even _thinking _it, just because you died! How fair is that? How is _any _of this fair?!" Anna yelled as if she'd get an answer. "Either come back forever or not at all, how hard was that? Why were you….why were you always such a coward? How could you possibly be _our _father? I wish you weren't! Then it wouldn't…."

For one second, Anna looked on the verge of a crying meltdown. In the next, her meltdown turned angry again – if only to avoid the crying meltdown for just a second longer. If only to forget every fond memory of her father. If only to avoid feeling guilty for hating him just a mill-second longer.

It got so hard to hold it back, she resorted to kicking his snowy tombstone.

"I hate you!" Anna told everyone who could hear, in every realm. Maybe _someone _would believe it, if not her. "I hate you, I hate you, I….hate that I can't hate you! Why can't I just….why couldn't you…."

Anna's normally endearing, slightly aggravating babbling was turning tragic all too quickly. Kristoff finally made a move towards her, but he had to stop when Anna started kicking and screaming at the monument so hard, he thought it might topple over. Instead, Anna beat it to the punch.

She slid until she was face down in front of the replica, with energy for only one more muffled yell in the snow. When she was finished, Kristoff and Olaf could practically see the energy drain from her body.

In a choice between feeling intense anger and sadness, Anna had chosen to purge the anger out first. Only the sadness remained. Yet by default, it was the emotion she most wanted to live with now.

Maybe with one less intense feeling to deal with, it would be easier. The fact she started to let out quiet, brief sobs might have been an improvement. Kristoff even though he heard a, "I'm sorry…." too.

It didn't mean she had the strength to move, though. Or do anything but sob into the snow.

But when she felt Olaf's stick hand on her back, and Kristoff's large human hand on her head, it got the tiniest bit easier to lie there.

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"Are you ready?"

Elsa didn't have a solid backup plan if Malin said no. The people were already waiting for them to appear on the balcony, so they needed to hear something. The two queens had already spent hours working on Elsa's speech, and all the other necessary arrangements. If Malin still wasn't ready now, she probably never would be.

But someone else had to be. If only so Elsa could believe she was. Even if it was a lie. Still, lying about her emotions – to herself and others - was a skill that had never gone away.

"They've seen you already," Elsa went on. "You don't have to say a word to them. I'll go first, then you can just stand out there and lean on me."

Queens weren't supposed to lean on anyone. Mothers weren't taught how to lean on daughters. Kings, fathers and husbands were supposed to outlive everyone. But _this _was reality now.

The people had a right to be led gently into it. Gentler than their leaders had.

Malin stayed outside of the balcony, but she wasn't going anywhere. This made Elsa feel safe enough to go out herself. When she saw the crowd watching and waiting down below, she took a breath and remembered the words she and Malin had crafted, not the emotions they triggered.

In the second biggest performance of a lifetime, her Queenly mask was in place as she started talking. Whether it could stay on until she finished was something she couldn't dwell on yet.

"People of Arendelle. I know the last 24 hours have been very turbulent," Elsa started. "Most of the facts, you already know. Tonight I want to flesh them out and fill in the blanks, and I hope you will bare with me. Bare with both of us." So far, so good.

"The first and foremost important detail is the saddest. Gaspar, King of Arendelle….is dead," Elsa got through. "Most of you thought he was dead for over three years. I learned differently a month ago. Yet last night, due to the actions of Prime Minister Van Garrett, he died for certain this time. Leaving behind myself, Princess Anna….and Malin, Queen of Arendelle."

Malin took her cue and stepped out, in full view of her people, as herself, for the second time in over 13 years. Yet it was the first time without her husband, for longer than she could remember now.

Although these people had seen her last night, and some had even fought in the castle for her, the shock and awe at seeing her was still palpable. Especially now that she was a widower. Especially now that they were all going through the gut punch of losing Gaspar all over again.

Yet Elsa was there to take Malin's hand. And she was there to take back command of the crowd.

"To properly explain as best I can, I should go back to the beginning," Elsa stated. "The simplest way to start is that my mother and father did not die at sea. Due to….circumstances beyond their control, they were stuck on an island, without the ability to get home, for three years. That finally changed a month ago."

With that, Elsa tried to explain the events of the last month, in the shortest and least complicated way she could. She skimmed over the rocky initial reunion – and Anna's part in it – as much as possible, and attempted to make Gaspar and Malin's undercover servant plan sound credible. But she explained that all of it was to help rebuild their family, first and foremost.

She addressed the attack on the Christmas ball for the first time, and Van Garrett's desire to close and suppress Arendelle and Elsa's magic. When it came time to go over Elsa's argument with her parents, and how it made her flee back to the mountain, she did all she could to minimize Gaspar's blame. Some of it couldn't be avoided, though.

Her most profound apologies came for staying on the mountain all day, while Van Garrett made his plans to put Gaspar and Malin back on the throne. Of course, since it was the last time they all had fun together as a whole family, she couldn't apologize completely.

She did fully apologize for letting the people, the council and the entire government get caught in the middle, and promised to properly honor those who fought for her anyway. They saved the castle – while Elsa couldn't even save her own father.

Then it came time to address his murderer.

"I know it's difficult to take in….our own Prime Minister having killed his King. The King he committed treason for," Elsa recapped. "But he is guilty of regicide. Even if my father wasn't the official King anymore. The obvious punishment for such a crime is death. And….I had my chance to deliver that sentence before he died."

Hoping against hope this would be a good enough explanation, Elsa said, "For many reasons, I realized killing him would go against everything I sacrificed so much for. What my father gave up everything for." Pausing, she concluded, "As much as I might want that to be different after this….it just isn't. Which is why he will spend the rest of a long life in the dungeons."

Murmurs went through the crowd, which Elsa wasn't too surprised by. She only hoped the next part made them understand better. As she hoped it would for her in whatever hard days laid ahead.

"The Prime Minister….is a man who developed rigid beliefs after a life-changing event. Beliefs that couldn't be changed by anything or anyone," Elsa said.

"He lived his life by the example he thought the King and Queen set for him. He was convinced they could never be wrong, lashed out whether the lessons he took from them were challenged, and developed….twisted beliefs they never meant for him to have. When he took them to a devastating conclusion, he did things he never set out to do. Things he will never stop feeling sorry and hating himself for."

With a sigh, Elsa confessed, "It's proven to be a very common ailment in this castle. While the sheer force of luck and love saved others in time….it didn't for him. While others hoped to do nothing but the right thing for their people afterwards, he just wanted to die. Therefore, I _am_ giving him the harshest possible punishment I can. Life."

To end all questions on the matter, Elsa qualified, "With the understanding that I will never give this much mercy to such severe crimes again. And that this is the last time I will ever speak of him."

If anyone wanted to object, they had no room or wisdom to do it now. A few faint murmurs were heard, but for the most part, no one questioned or nitpicked their Queen's mercy.

"Unfortunately, his actions have still left a wound in Arendelle. And not just because the King is gone," Elsa was able to go on. "It has also negated the joy….of having my mother, the former Queen, here with us again. No matter how much joy we still feel."

Elsa squeezed her mother's hand tighter, helping her to stand up straighter and look down at her people. She looked down on them with love, gratitude and other Queenly emotions so many times before the isolation. But this was about to be even more different than it already was.

"Nevertheless, having her here_ is_ a gift to all of us. She is a symbol of our better past, a silver lining for our difficult present, and a sign of hope for our future. For all this, and for her years of service to Arendelle….after my father is laid to rest, and we've had time to move on….I propose to nominate her as our new Prime Minister."

Now the murmurs turned much louder and clearer.

"She has already officially renounced her claim to the throne," Elsa went on. "She will go through whatever confirmation hearings and special elections she needs to, when the time comes. But if you deem her worthy, she will restore the office of Prime Minister to its former glory, and serve as the leading representative of your government and its people. And serve, next to Princess Anna, as my most trusted advisor."

Elsa looked to the people for their reactions. When she didn't get much to go on, she looked at Malin. While she looked polished and unaffected, for the most part, she could see the little twitch of uncertainty in her eyes. And the way her bottom lip nearly went up. And the way her hands struggled to stay still.

All gestures that Elsa saw, without fail, in her own mirror for 13 years. Only she never contained them that well for so many of those years. But there was the ghost of it in her mother.

Her mother – now deprived of the one person she loved more than anyone in this world. The one person she based her entire identity and worth on, in spite of everything else she had around her. The one person whose loss left her uncertain of herself, but who was set to take on great, overwhelming responsibility anyway.

Even without the one person who kept her going through the worst possible times – and now never would again. For much longer than 13 years.

For one moment, Elsa wanted to take her away and let her hide. Let her protect herself, mourn and forget about this whole crazy Prime Minister idea.

Until she heard the cry, "Long live the Queens!"

Once again, the people of Arendelle spoke up and cheered at the right time. Once again, their acceptance of the craziest, most unbelievable things was so wonderfully heartwarming.

Just as they warmed Elsa seven months ago at the courtyard, she could see their approval warming Malin too. Her smile and soul wasn't as light as Elsa's must have been then. But to see it even _that _light, after these last 24 hours….

Elsa squeezed her mother's hand, which squeezed right back. When she saw the people, she almost felt like Olaf and wished she could go down and hug them. Of course, since that desire came from Elsa when she made him, it might not have been out of character.

Still, hugs could wait once she and her mother were alone. For now, there was still an address to finish.

"As I said, we will address these matters after enough time has passed," she started again. "These are still technically the holidays, and we don't want them to be ruined further. So we will hold my father's funeral the day after New Year's, six days from now. It will give us time to get our heads straight, plan the services, and give him the proper burial he deserved the first time."

When no one objected, Elsa felt a weight come off for the first time all day. "If there are any more questions, I will do my best to get them answered. So will my staff and other government officials. You may go home, with the blessings and the eternal gratitude of the entire royal family. Wherever they all are."

That was meant to be more of a nod to Gaspar, rather than the absent Anna. Yet as Elsa and Malin turned to leave, the applause from the crowd barely distracted them from an even more important task ahead.

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When Elsa and Malin got into Anna's room, Anna had her head on her pillow this time. She was a little straighter and had more signs of life, but not a lot by her usual standards. She didn't even look out of control, in one extreme or another, when she saw her sister and mother there with her.

She had no words to go with it, either.

Kristoff and Olaf would tell them she looked better than she did hours ago. Yet Elsa and Malin missed seeing them on their way here. Regardless, they didn't know what was safe to say to her either.

They hadn't included her in their plans today, or discussed Malin's potential new job. Likewise, Anna hadn't gone rushing to tell them about her emotional rollercoaster.

They weren't shutting each other out, but they weren't ready to spill their guts out to each other. Anna could do it for Kristoff, Olaf and a snow gravestone. But none of them were Elsa and Malin.

After all, Anna, Elsa and Malin had never mourned anything together. So how would they know what to do?

But now that they had the chance to be together, they weren't running away from it either.

Elsa sat herself on the bed next to Anna, as she did last night. Without ice all around them, and without their father's dead body having been on this bed, it was somewhat more comfortable. Without Anna shaking and crying, it was easier for Elsa to be still too.

Anna wanted to ask Elsa what she'd been doing, and vice versa. However, after all the words she talked and cried out this afternoon, Anna knew she'd just talk and cry more if she got the chance. Perhaps doing something a little bit at a time was the right strategy for once.

Now that she'd done her crying for the day, she just wanted her sister. And her mother.

Elsa knew she hadn't checked on Anna as much as she should today, and probably missed a great deal. But being strong for her mother, for every official she talked to, for the entire town tonight – as always, it wasn't as easy as she made it look. If she could even do that much.

If Anna saw how hard it was for her, as she always did, how could she do it again tomorrow? Through five days of funeral planning? Through the actual….

No. She could break down on any day after that. But not that one.

The planning and the holidays weren't the only reason Elsa pushed the funeral to January 2. It was the most time to prepare herself that she could get away with.

Whatever it took to avoid making a spectacle of herself that day – magical or otherwise – Elsa would have to do it. Except keep completely away from Anna.

Even with the high risk of breaking down near her and not being able to get back up, that wasn't an option.

But just lying here with her, showing her she was here and wasn't going away….that could be enough too.

Her mere presence was better than any words they could say anyway.

This thought ran through both sisters as they lay quietly together, waiting out the night until they could sleep and put at least one day behind them.

Malin only avoided getting into bed with them because she wanted them to have enough room. She didn't know how she avoided the temptation to tuck them in, though. Yet when she pulled up a chair next to the bed, she stayed seated without moving a blanket or taking up space.

She still couldn't help reaching over and taking Anna's hand once she fell asleep. She was only human, in light of the superhuman strength she'd need later.

Nevertheless, this was the first night she'd spent with both her daughters since she could remember. That was enough strength for one night.

The rest would have to come later.


	30. The Next Week

**Six days later**

Elsa stood in front of Anna's closed door, blocking out her déjà vu. At least in this one instance today, if no others. Although irony might be the more fitting word.

She stood in a dark, less colorful version of her coronation dress, for a funeral service that would start pretty soon. Elsa and Malin put the majority of it together, with Malin going over a final checklist now – leaving Elsa to go get Anna.

Which she'd eventually have to actually do.

Unfortunately, she'd have to perform the simple, complicated task of knocking on her door first. And asking the simple, complicated question of whether she was ready to go. These were tasks and questions she tried to avoid all week, and she suspected Anna wasn't eager for them either. Now there was no way out.

Nevertheless, Elsa took the first step and knocked. Now she'd just have to tell Anna who was out there. And why.

"It's open," Anna's voice came out, sparing Elsa for now.

Even now, it was open. Elsa didn't know what else she expected. Still, she confirmed it by turning the doorknob and opening up Anna's room.

Anna was sitting up straight on the bed, wearing the same funeral dress she wore last time. As if Elsa would know that. Regardless, she closed the door behind her and stood in front of her sitting sister.

"It's time?" Anna guessed.

"Almost," Elsa barely answered. She waited for Anna to get on her feet and be ready, so she wouldn't have to ask her. But as Elsa feared, Anna wasn't moving. No matter how much she'd dressed up, and no matter what time it was….she couldn't exactly be hurried to go to her father's funeral.

Especially if it was the second one she'd ever had to attend.

Which was still one more than Elsa.

Which meant she lost any right to ask her to come to funerals three-and-a-half years ago.

Instead, she tried to get around it by saying, "Whatever you're doing, I'm going to be right with you." That kind of solidarity was still safe and necessary enough to provide.

So Elsa went onto the bed herself, sitting on Anna's right in silence. She knew she couldn't stay quiet forever, even if Anna was willing to try. If they both kept sitting around instead of actually leaving, it would be a disaster.

Knowing it and doing something about it were two different things, though. A lesson Elsa knew all too well. It should have made her extra set on not learning it again.

She just couldn't make herself be the one to take action first. Or spare Anna from having to do it.

At least she had any business doing it.

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Anna had spent six days following a pattern. For someone who loved to be spontaneous, this wasn't ideal. But it was necessary.

While Elsa and Malin took care of the funeral planning, Anna stayed out of the way and didn't bother them. She let Kristoff and Olaf bother her and try to make her somewhat better during the day, although she still let out a steady supply of tears. Whatever anger she still had left, it didn't get in her way now.

The more she cried for them, the less she'd have for the funeral, she figured. And the less chance she'd have to be an added burden on her sister and mother. Therefore, when they came to see her at night, she just stayed quiet, and was drained enough to just take solace in their company.

She liked to think it worked both ways. It did, even more than she knew.

But now the moment of truth was here, and she was paralyzed. There was no Kristoff or Olaf to soak up her grief before seeing Elsa. There was no way to keep up her new routine, despite having now seen the benefits of one.

And there was nothing left to delay the awful reality of going through this _again_.

No matter what Elsa and Malin had done for the service, and how there was an actual body to bury now. The fact was Anna had already done this _enough_.

No matter who would stand by her side this time. Even if she wasn't moving either.

And even if she didn't….

"_We only have each other….it's just you and me_."

Only that wasn't it now. It was their mother too. Their soon to be Prime Minister, as it turned out.

If she couldn't even get her own daughters to endure her husband's funeral, that she helped organize, she probably wouldn't make a strong case for the job.

Or give herself a strong case to do anything else, really.

Could Anna do that to the one parent she had left?

Heck, if she got through laying two parents to rest by herself, doing it for one – with her sister _and _mother and the actual body of her father, who she actually said goodbye to in person first – had to be easier by default. It was simple math, although Elsa was the math loving one.

"Okay, let's go," Anna decided.

"Really?" Elsa reacted suddenly.

"Yeah….wait," Anna put a few pieces together. "You sounded shocked. I mean, you knew I'd be ready eventually. Right?"

"Of course," Elsa wasn't too convincing.

"You're getting worse at lying. I'm really rubbing off on you," Anna figured. "Did you think I wouldn't want to go?"

"I know you don't. Why would you _want _to go to this?" Elsa reasoned. "But you have to. And I have to too." That came out as more of a resigned sigh than a statement. Enough that even Anna noticed.

"Elsa….were you _hoping _I wouldn't go?" Anna carefully asked. "Is that why you said you'd be right here, _no matter what_? So _you_ wouldn't have to…."

Elsa had kept a lid on her powers, and everything else, for the past six days. That one unfinished question made it all useless.

First the floor froze around her. Then the memories came back. From last week, and from over three years ago when she just couldn't…..even when she had the strength to _try_….

Then she started hugging herself again. Which Anna took as her cue to step in. "Elsa…." she said while holding her arms out.

"Don't!" Elsa cried, turning her back.

"Elsa, no!" Anna objected. "You're not going to freeze or hurt anyone if you go out there!" she cut to the chase. Any follow up arguments she had were lost when she thought she saw Elsa….shiver.

"It won't matter. Not if I can't…." Elsa struggled. "I can't…..do _anything_…._emotional _today…."

"Come on, this is the _one _day they'll forgive you for not acting like a Queen," Anna pointed out. "You're _supposed _to be emotional at a funeral."

"Until you can't stop. Powers or not," Elsa admitted. "I just have to hold it in for today, that's all. One more day."

"Why?" Anna asked. "You can stop yourself from freezing anything now! I mean, if you didn't kill him, what _can't _you do? And I'm here to get it under control for you too!"

"You _can't_!"

Elsa sounded as desperate as she did right before freezing Anna's heart. Instead of doing that again, however, she let her own heart freeze and break, as Anna saw too clearly on her face and trembling body.

"This is hard enough for you without…." Elsa tried to say. "Why should I make you help me….when I wouldn't do it for you?"

The strangled tone in Elsa's voice made Anna too distraught to offer help anyway. Not immediately. But Elsa easily assumed her hesitance was for other reasons.

"Go, Anna," Elsa said, briefly proud that she didn't include the word 'away.' "I can't think about this stuff now. Then I'll do it at the funeral, break down like a wreck, and ruin everything. Even if the weather's okay. Then it won't be about him anymore, and he'll just be remembered as….the _Snow Queen's _father." After a pause, she added, "That's what got him killed anyway."

"What?" Anna exclaimed. "On top of everything, you're going _there_?"

"He _did _die protecting me from him," Elsa simply stated.

"_I _was the one held at sword point at the time, remember?" Anna reminded.

"Because he was trying to get to me," Elsa reminded back.

"Because he was insane!" Anna said. "Papa trusted the wrong person for far too long! Now we finally know where I got it from!"

"You trusted me to be there the first time, and I failed," Elsa recalled. "Mama's trusting me to say goodbye…._Arendelle's _trusting me. Now here I am, even after keeping it together all week…."

"You don't have to keep it together," Anna promised. "You think I have all week? Kristoff and Olaf can tell you stories! More than they usually do! The moral of these ones is that getting it all out early….I think it worked for me! Now I think it's worked enough for me to get through today! You bottled it up like always, and look where you are! But now I can –"

"No!" Elsa shouted. "You're not supposed to do anything for me! It's supposed to be me this time! _I _have to be the strong one, just once! I have to send him off right, just once! I have to put on a show….it's only for today."

"So you have to be who he _didn't _want you to be anymore," Anna pinpointed. "No matter how I feel about what he did then….I _know _he didn't want that at the end. And I _know _he wouldn't want that now. You want to _really _honor him today? Then that's how you do it."

Anna barely knew where that burst of strength came from. She couldn't have gotten that much anger and sobs out this week. She should have been a greater wreck than Elsa by now.

Yet when she saw Elsa ready to break down, she straightened up and put herself together – so Elsa could do the same. The simple truth was, Anna was only really better when Elsa was better too.

And it was vice versa for Elsa ten times over.

She just didn't think she deserved that from Anna today – not after last time. She thought just being by her side, without talking or coming to her for anything deeper, would be enough – and was all she could ask for.

Elsa didn't ask for a hug. But Anna still gave her one. Since the ice below them was now fading, she couldn't have minded that much. Leaving aside the quiet crying on Anna's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Anna…." Elsa said into her shoulder. "I've never stopped being sorry…."

Instead of accepting her unnecessary apology, Anna merely told her, "Ask me for help."

"I don't have any right to…." Elsa kept believing.

"Well, you're not the only one who gets to decide that," Anna insisted. "You _know _I'm not gonna say no. So just…." She stopped herself before saying 'Let me in,' but just barely. As if Elsa didn't know what she would have said.

She mulled that over and eventually lifted her head back up. Yet as Elsa got herself ready to say the words, she already knew Anna was wrong. Instead of feeling better about asking for help, her every word just made her feel smaller.

"I can't get through this on my own. Not without you." _Like you made Anna get through both of them dying, without you._

"I need help." _Like the help you were too scared to give her. Even when she cried at your door afterwards._

"I need my little sister." _Like she needed a big one, and look how that worked._

"I need….I need my best friend." _Okay, that was just desperate. As if you were a much better best friend back. Now that's going to be the last straw, and you're just going to ruin another goodbye – as if that isn't a truly fitting last goodbye to him – and –_

And then Anna just smiled. Smiled her 'Warm Elsa up from the inside out' smile, at that.

Anna knew this wasn't the best place to smile, but it came out anyway. It came out at seeing – and hearing Elsa admit – that she needed Anna even more than Anna needed her. Which she had for 13 years. And on that first funeral too.

After Elsa denied herself that need for so long, Anna couldn't deny it herself now. Elsa didn't want to deny it, either – she just still didn't know how to reach out for it sometimes. Or feel like she deserved it.

So Anna would set the example.

She helped dry Elsa's tears and got her to stand up straight again. She even straightened up her dress and made sure it didn't get wrinkled. If Elsa really had to look the part of a composed Queen, she at least needed an extra pair of eyes.

When those eyes finished examining her outfit, they looked at her face so she could hear Anna's message.

"You'll be fine, Elsa."

Her face trembled again from those words, for some reason. But she kept standing and kept any more ice from coming. It told Anna she did her job.

It went as far as to tell Anna she could do it outside too.

Whatever their father did and however he left for good, they were still saying goodbye to him as sisters. Even after everything he put them through, it wasn't enough to take that away – not anymore. That put a lot of things in perspective for Anna, and encouraged her to make sure Elsa would feel the same.

"Come on. Let's get out of this room for starters," Anna offered. She opened the door, saw Elsa staying still, and looped her right arm around her left arm anyway. Her left hand held onto hers, and eventually she felt her squeeze back.

When they started walking, Elsa's posture slumped, as she held Anna's hand like it was propping her up. But despite the imperfect body language, she still kept going down the hall with Anna.

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Elsa was straighter by the time they found Malin, right near the gates. She had no words for her daughters, as she merely took in the sight of them together. Of how Anna was lending Elsa her strength, and Elsa absorbed it without desperately forcing herself to.

In turn, Malin felt herself absorbing it the same way.

Nonetheless, no words were spoken as they left the castle. The many mourners standing outside were largely quiet too. There was still extra protection around the crowd and the royal family, by necessity after recent events, even if it was unfounded now.

Yet the royals made their way safely to the cathedral, which was already overflowing. But the living people inside weren't Elsa's concern.

It was an open casket service, and Elsa hadn't seen the body since it was taken out of its bedroom – _his _bedroom. Neither had Anna. Malin had, yet since this was the last time she would see it, Elsa couldn't guess her reaction either. She could only fear her own.

Despite everything Anna just did, Elsa still cringed inside, at the worst time where people could see her. Judge her. Judge how she reflected on him. Judge all the sacrifices he made for her that got him killed.

"I'm scared," Elsa couldn't stop herself from whispering.

Every time Elsa said that in front of Malin, she had to stop herself from holding or even touching her little girl. She had to watch Elsa's terrified pacing, muttering and lack of control with terror of her own, which only made Elsa more frightened.

Today, Malin finally broke the cycle.

She went to the free side of Elsa and put her arm around her, rubbing her back soothingly. She kissed the top of her head, barely refrained from humming a song of comfort, and didn't refrain from giving a teary eyed look of pride and comfort.

Although it wasn't for Anna, she still drank it up, feeling the same nostalgia and familiar, long dormant warmth that she did. With that warmth and Malin's coming from both sides, Elsa almost felt hot for the first time.

She still felt composed enough to go into a funeral service for the first time. That was just as remarkable.

Malin looped her arm around Elsa's free arm, leaving the family to go in arm-in-arm and hand-in-hand. When they got inside, they saw the pews were already fairly full, with townspeople, officials and other mourners. They all rose for the family, who gave grateful nods as they walked down the aisle.

Down to the open casket at the end.

Anna briefly looked to see Kristoff and Olaf in the front row, with empty space next to them. The family would fill that space as soon as they saw their fallen patriarch.

A fallen patriarch who finally looked like himself again.

That was the first thing Elsa noted – which was better than what she thought she'd feel. Nevertheless, it jumped at her that his beard was finally shaved off, leaving just his mustache. Combined with his traditional wardrobe, it made him look like her real father again for the first time.

Like it was the last sign he was truly home. And home was where he would stay now. Regardless of how and why.

"Thank you," Elsa said. Whether it was to Malin for getting him cleaned up like this, or to her and Anna for getting her here – or to her father for everything else – she wasn't sure. But it seemed to fit all around.

The family turned and headed for their seats, which caused everyone else to sit as well. Anna settled next to Kristoff, taking his hand and sharing a few quiet words. Elsa was on Anna's right side, her hand still in Anna's other hand for security – as novel as that still was – while Malin was still close on Elsa's right.

The service started as Elsa and Malin planned, with various speakers, tributes and rituals to honor Gaspar. While Elsa had to either squeeze her sister and mother's hands extra tight, or pull away when hers were getting too cold, there were no snow or ice storms in or out of the church. Not even when Anna clutched onto Elsa's arm at the more emotional rituals and hymns.

Finally came the centerpiece of the ceremony – Malin's eulogy.

As the sitting queen and elder daughter, it likely should have been Elsa's task to eulogize her father. As the former queen and wife, however, Malin had seniority.

In any case, this would be her first public speech since her return, and since the isolation too. Given her proposed job, she'd have to get used to it soon enough.

Neither the crowd nor her family knew what she'd say, as she crafted the whole speech herself. Her daughters, and even Kristoff, would have cut her first line if they had the chance.

"My husband made a lot of mistakes."

It certainly made her stand out from the other speakers already. Whether it was a good way was pretty shaky.

"With my help, he separated our daughters, shut off Arendelle from the world, and would have completely lost the people's support. If not for his future murderer. No service can erase those mistakes. Just as it can't erase that he died before he could fully repay his debt. To all of you, and to his family."

Malin ignored the puzzled crowd, focusing on his puzzled daughters. In truth, Anna was getting more sad than confused. The only thing that kept Elsa under control was keeping Anna under control, although Anna's eyes were closed and teary.

"He was also the man who made me a Queen. Not for political gain or to follow a law. Even if it wasn't all for love at first...by the time we married, I knew it was," Malin shared. "From that, he became the man who made me a mother. The proudest mother I could possibly be. Even if I didn't always show it the way I should have. But it was there. Like it was for him."

Elsa felt safe to focus from Anna to Malin, while Anna kept her tearful eyes closed. But she wasn't shaking as much.

"He was the man who passed on a formidable sweet tooth. The man who worked himself tirelessly for Arendelle, but who came back to life for his wife and children. He passed on a love of learning and curiosity, he kept an open mind, and he committed himself to the most serious matters and silliest games."

Anna finally cracked a smile, even as tears ran from her barely open eyes. Malin got her next bit of strength from that, and then from looking at Elsa.

"Where others would have destroyed things that could have posed a threat, he showed mercy. Even if it didn't seem like it. Where others would have given up hope completely, he still trusted his legacy would live on in a worthy Queen. To the very end. _Both _times."

Indeed, Elsa could have been killed or cast out altogether by other fathers. At the least, they never would have kept trusting her as first-in-line for Queen. But Gaspar did.

Now it was Elsa trying to contain a smile and tears, despite how un-regal it made her look. Anna still forgave her enough to take back her hand.

"This is the full legacy of King Gaspar. Despite the negatives," Malin admitted. "But the negatives make his positives all the _more _remarkable, I believe. They teach us that perfection, even in royally, cannot be achieved. But the struggle to overcome imperfection can be just as inspiring. In every successive generation."

Malin was in full command by this part of the speech. "Gaspar's struggle was unfinished on his own. But it lives on in the family he leaves behind. On behalf of that family, I swear to you, the best of him will live on. And through his example, we will pass it on to all of you, his people. The worst of him, and how he fought it off at the end, will be a constant reminder that we owe it to him, and ourselves, not to fail."

She stepped down and headed to Gaspar's casket, bending down in front of his face. "I'm the one that needs to thank _you_. The rest of my days, and those of our daughters, should serve as a good start. You're not fading away that easy."

One more lingering kiss on Gaspar's head closed out Malin's presentation. She returned to her seat next to Elsa, without a change in expression. Elsa just looked at her in amazement, from her speech and at how her own Queenly facade had nothing on her mother's, even now.

"Well….you said some things I didn't expect," was all Elsa had.

"We can't work together on everything. There are some things a Prime Minister has to do, independent of the Queen," Malin whispered. "We'll have to make that clear down the line. We'll get enough accusations of nepotism once time passes."

The littlest sigh and eye twitch was all that betrayed Malin's calm exterior, in spite of everything. Once she said what she needed to say, for him, herself and her daughters, it was easier to contain herself beyond that.

Not for the first time, Elsa realized although her mother might be Prime Minister soon, she would never embody that job quite like her last one.

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When the service at the church ended, it was time for the rest of Arendelle to pay their respects.

They loaded Gaspar's casket into a carriage, then opened it up again for those outside to see. The procession slowly went through the interior of the castle and through the entire town, giving everyone in Arendelle at least one chance to see their King pass.

The royal family walked alongside the carriage, spending every few seconds seeing the reactions of the townspeople – although they were already lucky to stay composed this long. But everything held as they followed the route out of town, and towards the gravesite.

Gaspar would be laid to rest under his old tombstone, with an open grave dug up for an actual casket. Once the carriage got close enough and the mourners took their place, it was time to put the casket inside.

Which meant it was time to close it up for good. To enclose Gaspar in darkness forever.

"Wait!" Malin pleaded, right before the pallbearers could close the casket and lift it out of the carriage. "Put it down and open it up."

"Do what she says," Elsa said, giving them no more wiggle room. With that, the pallbearers closed the casket, got it onto the ground and opened it up for them again.

Despite the lack of decor, the royal family bent down on the ground, desperate for one final look at Gaspar's face. And it would be the very last one. There'd be nothing left to recall his face with but paintings and memories - and even those felt less vivid after three years.

Anna and Elsa knew this, but it was brand new for Malin. And it was really hitting her now.

She began breathing heavily as she reached to touch Gaspar's face. It turned quick and erratic once she touched him, all traces of her former composure fading away. She merely tried to delay a panic attack long enough to take in her husband's face for the final time.

The touch of Anna's hand on top of hers did register. But within moments, it all started to overcome Anna too.

Malin's breathing slowed just as Anna's picked up. She looked even more ready to give out than Malin did moments ago. Yet right then, she felt a hand on top of her's and Malin's. A cold hand.

The touch jolted them with its cold, and soothed them with its warmth. Elsa squarely looked at them, trying to comfort them like they did for her. Eventually, they began to wear that comfort on their faces.

Despite having two hands on top of hers, Malin moved it down Gaspar's face, until she was ready to leave go. Anna followed next, then she left Elsa's hand alone.

Left Elsa's bare hand touching Gaspar's bare, cold skin. The levels of irony and heartbreak made her the next to teeter on the edge.

But like Malin and Anna, Elsa came off in time, taking her hand off Gaspar without leaving any ice or snow behind.

She helped Malin and Anna get up, giving the pallbearers their cue to go on. Once the casket finally closed Gaspar off to the world forever, his family couldn't look back as they got into their next position.

Once again, Anna stood in between the two giant gravestones made for her mother and father. This time, she wasn't there by herself. This time, Elsa was by her side and Malin was by her other side, while they watched the casket being lowered.

After it was placed in its hole, the grounds crew got to work covering it up. Time passed all too quickly, at least for the royals, before the burial was flawlessly done.

Which in turn made the entire funeral finished.

It was all over now. Gaspar was at eternal rest, everyone had seen it, and nothing had frozen, broken down or collapsed into a sobbing fit.

It took some doing, but the family had endured. They had propped each other up when needed, and paid their respects without falling apart. Elsa hadn't fallen apart.

"We did it," Anna whispered next to her. "_You_ did it. You and Mama."

But it was Elsa who moved over and stood in front of the tombstone. Stood on top of where her father's body would stay for all time.

The weight and finality of it – and what she had done today anyway – made a flood of pent up power build inside her.

Over three years ago, that power froze her room and made her more a danger to Anna than ever. It made her more alone, helpless, and briefly more willing to end it all before she could sink further. It made her wish she was never born, so Anna and their parents would be spared from her – and all alive.

Yet when the power surged now, it made her create instead of destroy.

It wasn't anything she hadn't created before, technically. She made an ice statue of Gaspar back at the ice palace already.

But this one was for everyone to see. This one would be placed in front of the tombstone, so Gaspar would be visible to all forever. This one was even more detailed, complete with his Kingly clothes, crown – and the best recreation of his most loving smile.

Anna and Malin came up to it in complete awe. The other mourners who stayed behind looked in quiet admiration themselves. Then the admiration from all sides focused on Elsa.

Elsa felt overwhelmed, but not with fear, sadness, pride or joy – maybe it was all four and more combined. She still didn't feel in control of her powers, but she didn't feel like it would lead to disaster either.

As it turned out, when she lost control again, all that came out of it was a mere flurry of snow over the cemetery. Her special snowflakes rained down gently over the crowd, the tombs, and the new statue. Not to mention the family.

Elsa looked up with surprise and less and less fear, then looked straight towards her sister and mother. They came up and put their arms around her without a word – without needing a word.

Kristoff and Olaf gave up on staying in the crowd and joined the group. Despite not being blood relatives – or in one case, not having blood – the royal family didn't dream of sending them away. This wasn't just their moment, as monumental as it was.

Elsa didn't bother to make it stop snowing, since it wasn't a blizzard. And it wasn't going to be.

Anna didn't bother to speak, and Malin didn't have to wipe her eyes.

They'd gotten through the toughest thing they'd ever faced – at least while the three of them were together the whole time. Not much else seemed very daunting right now. If only for this one moment.

It was better than any other moment this last week, though. To the point it might not be crazy to believe it could be topped later.

It was a point that made the smile on Gaspar's statue seem more….appropriate than it should have been.

**Another musical warning: This time, I advise re-readers to go to YouTube, paste the address watch?v=RelSVAL9yfs and listen to a track called "Almost Martyrs" from the otherwise forgotten movie "The Life of David Gale" But the music fits in right when the family touches Gaspar in the casket for the final time – and Elsa's statue should appear at the 1:24 mark.**

**With that, there's only one more chapter left now, no matter what soundtrack you imagine.**


	31. The Next Year

**And now here we are at the end. After two months, over 600 reviews, 450 followers and 100,000 views, a lot of tears from what I understand, and more words than any Frozen fanfic ever written to date, it ends here.**

**My profound thanks to all of you for your obvious patience, through all the words and…..certain plot twists. Another special thanks to Khmyh for the video commemorating this story – reminder, type in the YouTube address and then paste watch?v=XqHddMGpJfk to see it. A new bit of thanks to Karts of Sugar Rush, who put together some 'end credit' lyrics at the bottom for me, without even being asked. **

**An added late disclaimer that I don't own Frozen, or the music I've borrowed lately – like John Williams' "Christmas Star" or "Dumbledore's Farewell" by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince composer Nicholas Hooper, or the track "Almost Martyrs" by Life of David Gale composers Alex and Jake Parker.**

**And more thanks to all those who left reviews, making this only about the fourth Frozen story here to cross the 600 mark. Let's see just how long the list of reviewers is.**

**Thanks to: Lord Destroyer, Ron W. 312, MagicOfDisney, Elmer elephant, Lionescent, GrossGirl18, LittleLillyPeople, ajunebuga, secretwinterzlove90, Relentless Wind, The Last Poison Apple, chessyteal'c, InfernoLeo9, Miss Anly, BlueRaith, MusicLover2212, ChocolateandRoses, La5021, Olafqhace, unicorns, Lelia, SnowQueenofArendelle, Ceikaiyia Cheeks 2, Wanli8970, TsukiyoTenshi, Jai Rose, Lelo, Celestia's Paladin, lightning1997, Glitter101, castlejune, Ruusaanyc, SakuraAyanami, Mary, theaterinspired, Robstarforever2017, Sheegan4ever, RiotFest, preciousat, someperson10, Lumina The Vessel, sky-of-the-frozen-stars, animeflunky, Mara, PascalDragon, KBlye, Super Guest, FE96jAFFAR, Kung-fu Blaziken, theoccasionalreviewer, suicune4ever, CodeKiki12, Henri Jane, Killer Sand Shadow, Timbo, Beloved Daughter, Toomanybooks16, Dark Lelouch3221, Serenity'sfire98, dranbit, princesspay10, Kateri3740, Klaw117, Loridhhp, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, Jenny Krakowski, Fashionably Hospitable, FlashFreeze0, Alese222, thewookie1….**

***deep breath***

…**..Fletchdoug99, qwq qweqq, HerrMancyni, .7, Telepek, feathersnow, csi cameron, K-chan's Kisses, ScoobyL, Dhampire12, Banci Taman Lawang, Repentpess Wind, Jenny, Eclipsestorm4, NicPie, The Animanga Girl, Avatar of Wurms, fatat18, Mata Nui, BlazeTheWolfie, iamreallyreallybored, Bex-of-Midgar, Silently Watches, sooneroo, Wingedswordyunagi, avengeme, ObservingWriterAndReader, Darius, MagnetTerp, jen, PaintsOnSilence, thkq1997, WoBuHuiXie, brunhe, TacticX, Aeron Solo, Lord of the Tsurani, EladamriCorell, loveghibli, Keyblade Keeper, Ivar Hugo, funvince, Mich, xrosheart2013, ymke1000, viktordragon17, FrozenAddict15, readerz99, saturday101, RaXieF…..**

***deep breath 2***

…**.MinerGirl, mel, Whistlewind Wolf, anon, That Ghost Geek, Proud Olympian, AndIfWeFall, ArcobalenoLove, Vemilyus, Kaylee Alice Harman, LiariaZwei, BookwornWithTape, Phantom Fandom, Sarahfighter, ketbelle, Fantabulism, Smashy70, Lany19, TIFF, Tare-chan, clh. calvin and a ton of guests. And any new people who review this last chapter.**

**Oh, and here's the actual last chapter.**

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**Five months later [One year after the Great Freeze]**

The sun was barely up when Malin entered the dungeons. She wasn't even wearing her best dress, since that would be saved for later today, in far better settings. Barely anyone knew she was here, and that short list didn't include her daughters.

This was something she had to do alone, and get over with before the rest of today went on.

She walked down the dungeon halls, not looking at any of the prisoners. They were either sleeping, or too surprised to see her there. In any case, she only planned to look at one prisoner today.

As he had for much of the last five months, he was in shackles hung up on the wall, leaving him about four feet off the ground. His arms and legs were all chained, leaving him nearly incapable of movement – and incapable of harming anyone in any way. _Anyone_.

They stopped having to force feed him every meal after about a month. He was now allowed to have more free time to walk around, after he went long enough without trying to kill himself with his bare hands. He even allowed them to shave his beard, without trying to lean into the knife. Still, he certainly wouldn't be allowed to move around near this visitor.

This is how Malin found Tomas Van Garrett in his cell, hanging shackled on the wall with no way to approach her. It was just as well for both of them.

"Madam Prime Minister," Van Garrett said, fairly hoarse since he had few reasons to talk these days.

The Prime Minister merely nodded at her predecessor, not wanting to waste much time on greetings.

"I don't know how well you can keep track of time here," she got to it. "But today is Elsa's birthday. It's the anniversary of her coronation. And all that happened on it. All that changed."

Van Garrett knew full well what today was, but didn't bother to confirm it. It wasn't necessary for Malin anyway.

"Exactly one year ago today, I had no idea who I was. No one in my family did," Malin recounted. "My husband thought he was an unmarried island man. My eldest daughter thought she was inhuman. My youngest daughter thought she was a tossed out spare. And none of us knew how much we were all loved."

Malin let out a chuckle, something neither she nor Van Garrett expected in this place and time. "Anna's actually learning to do royal duties now. It's more to see me and Elsa work than to do real work herself. But she is trying. For her to willingly spend time on boring things, just to be with the both of us….that's an act of true love right there."

Her smile vanished, although she showed more playful frustration than a real kind. "I won't pretend me and the Queen work smoothly every day. Sometimes I act frostier after a long day than she does. It certainly makes for some awkward dinners. And Olaf can only break the mood with _so much _singing before you want to get a torch."

It took one more eye roll before Malin softened up. "But those are the hard days. The good ones, I'm getting more used to. It's been 14 years since I had them with both of them. To have them like this….there's only one other thing I could possibly ask for. And what I have makes it….more bearable that I can't ask."

Malin added more kiddingly, "And Kristoff usually distracts Olaf with carrots before there's _too much _singing anyway."

This made her suddenly change topics and moods. "He's going to propose soon, you know! He thought it'd be way too obvious to do it today, though. Plus he didn't want to do it on the same day Hans did. He figured he'd be cleverer and catch her by surprise next week. I understand the logic, I suppose."

She stood up straight, getting lost in a vision of the future. "Today should probably be about us. About Elsa and how far she's come, Anna standing beside her….myself standing beside both of them. I still barely believe I can do that. And do it so proudly. If I had…."

Getting back to memories of a harder reality, Malin frowned and focused back on Van Garrett. "I didn't accept Elsa's offer to be Prime Minister at first. She had to spend much of….the day after….trying to convince me. I never told her the real reason it took so long, though."

But she was going to tell Van Garrett, nonetheless.

"I couldn't take the job because if I did….then I couldn't kill you."

Now Van Garrett gave her his full attention.

"You'll understand why I didn't approve of her sparing you. I was too distracted to really bring it up that day, though. Distracted by the very things that made me wish she hadn't spared you. I won't lie….when I wasn't in a fog that morning, I was wondering who I could hire to slip into your cell and….grant your wish to die."

With this set up, Van Garrett wondered anew why Malin was here now. As Prime Minister, she certainly had the connections to….hire people. And it was too dark to see if any of them were here.

"But I knew if I accepted your old job, I couldn't do anything to you. Even if I got away with it. The last thing Arendelle needed was _two straight_ Prime Ministers who committed murder. It also didn't need a murdered former King. Which made my choice all the harder," Malin admitted.

"Yet I made it. If only because there was too much to do _without_ having you killed," she said. "When the funeral was over….there were still days when I wanted to turn down the job, take you out and then mourn alone. Even when I assumed office, there were days I wanted to do it anyway."

"Then I went to work. With my daughters."

The smile returned to Malin's face.

"I learned I could enjoy it without my husband. But I couldn't without him _and _with your murder on my hands. That would have been one problem too many. A choice between that and how things really are now….is no choice at all," Malin concluded.

She went right up to Van Garrett's bars, making sure he was listening. "I wouldn't have what I have now if I had killed you. Which is why not doing it was the best decision I made in 14 years. Which is why I'm never going back on it. I thought the decent thing to do was to tell you now, so you can be prepared for a long future. Before you got any false hope."

As Malin expected, it gave him the exact opposite of hope.

Van Garrett stretched his arms and legs out, as if he could break through the shackles. The more he failed, and the more he was still alive, the more he yelled in agony.

"Now that that's taken care of, I can enjoy the rest of this anniversary," Malin said, unaffected.

"Malin…." Van Garrett said quietly, for the very first time. "Malin, please…."

There was once a little girl who did something terrible, and locked herself from the world for years. But even when she wanted to die and believed she wasn't human, she made herself stay alive and kept trying to be good, for the good of all people.

A _little girl_ did that – and this grown man in his 50's just kept wishing for death. Kept seeing nothing beyond _his _pain.

There was no need to reward a man like that. Especially not on a day of celebration for that special girl. Or any other day.

"Goodbye, Tomas," Malin honestly said, ending her first and last visit to his cell.

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Anna yawned as she rose from bed, muttering nonsense words while half-asleep. The last one she got out was, "birdday" – which still triggered a memory.

"Birdday? Birdday! My sister's birdday!" Anna yelled. "And it's her birthday too! And Olaf's! And the anniversary! And _my _anniversary! And….oh, it's all really today!"

She leaped out of bed now, even bothering to get her hairbrush and start brushing as she ran around. She only stopped when her brush got tangled in too many knots, but she pulled it out without losing too many hair strands.

Finally she got mostly dressed up, got much of her hair down and braided, then threw open the windows. A year ago today, she would have run out and sang, in her need to take in the outside world on the one day she'd get to meet it – and Elsa. She would have ran out singing about love, in a desperate, last ditch effort to feel it again.

A year later, merely admiring the open world of Arendelle would do just fine.

So would the knock on her door.

"It's okay, Gerda, I didn't make any bald spots!" Anna got ahead of herself. But she was wrong to do so – although when she opened the door and saw Elsa, she didn't mind being wrong.

"The birthday Queen!" Anna cheered, giving out Elsa's morning hug before she could object – if she had wanted to. But when she saw Elsa was already all dressed up – of course she was – she pulled away in case she messed anything up. Another thing Anna wouldn't have done a year ago today.

Including getting to even touch Elsa.

"That's one of my better nicknames, I'll admit," Elsa actually seemed to joke – another difference that 365 days made.

"Is that why you're here? To update your nickname list?" Anna hoped she was wrong again, but felt confident.

"I'm ahead of schedule so far. It looks like you are too," Elsa noted, despite how Anna still had touching up to do. "I thought I'd use my free time to be sure. Gerd myself up before the party started. Do things I didn't….normally do before parties like this."

Like go over and see Anna. Or even talk to her willingly. Now she'd checked them off like it was….the everyday thing it had become.

Anna merely acknowledged it with a smile, as Elsa joined her to look out the window. They looked at the same view of Arendelle for a while, until Elsa looked in another direction. Before long, Anna could tell what she was looking at and thinking about, even if she couldn't see it from here.

"Are you sure you want to do this here?" Anna asked. "You felt free for the first time a year ago. And it wasn't in here." She then gestured in the direction of the North Mountain. "We can still have your birthday there. Family only. We haven't been back there since….that other big day anyway."

"No," Elsa shrugged off. "Not because of that. I was free for the first time when you thawed. That chain of events, as ugly as it was at first, started here. So this is the most fitting place and day to honor it."

After a pause, she proposed, "Maybe we could have the Great Thaw anniversary there, though. If Mama can push back a few of her meetings."

"Sure she will!" Anna figured. "She'll do it for a family day!"

A family day with absolutely no work – for an _entire _day. They really hadn't had that since….

Now both Anna and Elsa looked out to another horizon beyond Arendelle. And another, more personal landmark. One with a still intact ice statue there.

"Do you think it's okay yet?" Anna wondered. "To feel this happy without him?"

"I don't know," Elsa admitted. "This is the first time in 14 years….or maybe the second….I've ever been happy. For more than a few months in a row, anyway. I still don't really know how it's supposed to work."

"I don't either," Anna confessed. "I mean, being happy _and _free, without any secrets….I'm not used to that too. There's still loss there, but I'm used to that. Being almost really happy anyway, for _real_? Without deluding myself? That's still new, though."

For Elsa _and _Anna.

Even if they were still getting used to happiness – the real, open kind – at least they were sharing the same struggle together.

That was more than Elsa could ever afford to hope at this time last year. More than she'd hoped up to that painful moment where she told her "It just can't" be that way.

Having it that way now made the rest of it….less scary. No matter who else was there or not.

But Anna was here. Alive and here. And safe _with_ Elsa. For a whole year – for the most part.

"I know this is _my _birthday. And _my _Great Freeze anniversary," Elsa noted. "But this day is because of you."

"Oh, don't start giving me all the credit again," Anna tried to dismiss.

"Just humor me one more time," Elsa asked. "No matter what else we've lost, and what we're still figuring out….this has still been the greatest year of my life. Not just by comparison," she qualified. "It's because I can tell you, and you can _believe_ me….that I love you and I'm _so _proud you're my sister. I should have said it a year ago, and I know I wanted to, but –"

Anna hugged the rest of the words out of Elsa. She could do that now, too.

"I love you and you're the best person I've ever known," Anna promised. "It's been good to say that all year too. In so many words."

Once Elsa could believe it in so many words, she had to agree.

"Okay," Anna broke off before she completely lost it. "So I'll see you out there, then?"

"When we're ready," Elsa assured. "Once you're set….would you like to do the honors?"

After all these years, _that_ was the magic question to make Anna hurry up and finish looking presentable. Even then, she almost put it off to hug Elsa again. But she refrained and let Elsa escape while she could.

Once Anna was done, she rushed out and passed on the orders to the first servant she saw. "Tell the guards to let our guests in!"

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It didn't take too long for the Great Hall to fill up, even more than it had last year – the side effect of having more friends and allies. After everyone was settled and had greeted themselves, it was time for them to see their hosts.

Kai introduced Queen Elsa, who stepped up to her position with a perfect stride. Some things really hadn't changed in a year after all.

He then introduced Princess Anna, who actually came up right after she was called. Still, she had to get through the crowd and did trip a bit, but only halfway and just one time. Some things changed just enough.

The biggest change of all was saved for last, once Anna took her place by Elsa's right side.

It was then time for Prime Minister Malin to take her place by the Queen's left. She strode out in her better dress for the day, a deep teal number she often wore at work.

Anna glanced at her sister and mother together, in awe and feeling the need to say something. She tapped her hands together, ultimately settling for a quiet little, "Hi."

"Hello," Malin glanced at Anna, barely turning her head. Although she wasn't a Queen anymore, her smile was scarily similar to her successor – especially side by side.

"You both look wonderful," Malin praised. This made Elsa's official smile soften, while any trace of a formal smile on Anna was gone.

"Me? Us? Well, you guys look more wonderfuller anyway," Anna complimented.

"Hold that thought," Elsa said, stepping forward and getting everyone's attention.

"Welcome, citizens and friends of Arendelle," she addressed. "Today is a special day for many reasons. First and foremost, it's a very important birthday. For the kingdom's favorite snowman, Olaf."

She gestured to Olaf in the crowd – who happened to be picking out chocolate from a table. He gasped in surprise, licking chocolate from his lips and forcing Elsa to put on a more official smile. Yet she exhaled and softened up again, hugging herself not from loneliness or fear, but as a gesture of love/inside joke for Olaf.

Olaf got it and hugged himself back. But he didn't put down a piece of chocolate first, which was smeared on his body. Yet Elsa somehow brought herself to stop looking at the broken piece and move forward.

"Also, it's a very important anniversary. For Princess Anna and her beloved ice master," Elsa faked out again.

In this case, when everyone saw Kristoff, they saw him stuffing carrots in his formal pants for Sven. Once they did, he discreetly tried to put some back, but Anna waved him over to bail him out.

"And there are other notable things to honor today too," Elsa powered through. "Good things that turned bad, and bad things that somehow tuned good. And everything and everyone else we found, and lost, from then to now."

Bowing her head, Elsa stated, "The hard lessons, hardships and losses of the last year will never be forgotten. And they will never stop inspiring us to forge better years. This I vow, to _all _those who can hear me."

No matter what realm of existence they were now in.

Anna and Malin bowed their heads in recognition and reverence, to which the crowd followed. Elsa looked up first, informing, "Now then, let's make this a peaceful but reasonably fun party, for starters."

Soon it felt like a party again, which made Kristoff feel safe to approach the royal family. "I heard the Princess usually gets the first dance at these parties," he offered.

"Oh, yeah! Well, this is an improvement already," Anna smiled. "I say this while my toes are still intact."

"Your small one _did _heal overnight last time, give me that," Kristoff reminded, before taking Anna's hand and leading her into the crowd.

Elsa and Malin stayed behind, watching the couple awkwardly get into dance position, and watching the party all around them. "So this is what a real birthday party is like," Elsa noted. "It's warmer than I'd thought."

"Yes. It certainly is," Malin looked right at Elsa, hardly talking about the same thing.

Elsa took that in, letting several seconds go by before she changed the subject. "So how is he?"

Malin couldn't sputter out a convincing denial here, so she just sighed.

"I almost saw him myself," Elsa revealed. "Right before I came to see Anna. But when the guard told me he already had a visitor….I figured you said all that needed to be said."

"I think I did," Malin hoped. "For me, if not for him."

Turning her head towards Elsa, she let an unofficial smile break out. "Courage and wisdom sometimes skips a generation. But then the next one has enough for all of them. Thank you for that gift."

Elsa's mask broke apart too, like it briefly did with Anna a year ago. This time, flashbacks to the past didn't snap it back on. "Don't sell yours short. You catch up eventually," she reassured.

And then the moment was broken up by a piercing squeal.

Elsa and Malin briefly panicked when they recognized it as Anna's. Then they saw the crowd – and saw Anna jumping into Kristoff's arms in the middle.

Anna could make such a leap for a number of reasons, and had. But this was clearly for a new one.

A rather _early o_ne. At least that's what Elsa and Malin were led to assume. Either way, Anna was pulling Kristoff over to them anyway.

"Guys, guys! You're not gonna believe this!" Anna squealed, then paused. "Wait….you _had _to cause he asked for permission first, right?"

"Yes. But we thought questions like this would be asked _next _week," Malin directed at Kristoff. "To be less predictable?"

"You pull off a _real_ dance move with her. _Then _see how much you care about being predictable," Kristoff said, then changed his tune. "On a hopefully still good note….do you have that…._thing _I thought I wouldn't need today?"

"I won't anymore," Malin said, reaching into her pocket. She opened her hand to glance at it one last time.

"Is that…." Anna gawked. "You got that from….when he….?"

"Exactly," Malin said. "Your father gave this to me when he proposed. Now it's for you. A few minutes after _he _proposed," she noted to Kristoff, before looking back at her engagement ring from Gaspar. "I thought I'd have more time to say goodbye to it."

"Oh. Ugh, stupid dance moves!" Kristoff blamed. "I can just buy a real one, like a regular person. Last regular thing I'll get to do, really. I can pay it off in four years, tops."

"No, no," Malin conceded, presenting the ring to Kristoff. "It'll live on now. Even without me." She resisted the urge to kiss the ring goodbye, then let Kristoff take it.

"I guess I only have to do this part, then," Kristoff conceded, getting on one knee, taking Anna's hand and putting the ring on her finger, no questions asked.

"Oh….Elsa?" Anna turned, suddenly nervous, in spite of knowing she was in on most of this.

"I know what happens when I say no to these things. And you know what happens when you let the wrong man ask these things," Elsa recounted. "I'm proud to say we both know better."

"That's a yes in Elsa talk! Yes!" Anna cheered, pumping her ring hand into a fist. "Oh, I gotta squeal over this some more! And you and Kristoff gotta fill me in on stuff too! But it should be by ourselves, so…."

"Anna, I can't go now," Elsa caught on. "I need to greet our guests. Including the ones here on business."

"I still know how to do that," Malin volunteered. "Go on, they'll still want to talk to you when you get back. Call it an extra birthday gift."

"That beats out mine," Anna admitted. "But thanks anyway, Mama. Uh, Madam Prime Minister," she corrected. She figured such formality earned her some leeway for a brief, big public hug.

She even added a quiet "Thank you" to cap it off.

Between that phrase, what she gave up – and who she would soon give away – Malin barely kept from trembling before Anna let go.

Once she was still, Anna promptly took Elsa by the hand, leading her through the Great Hall. Elsa tried to make Anna slow down, and even tried to shush her, but it was no use. Kristoff merely shrugged and followed at his own slow pace.

Malin went down to start greeting guests and play the politician. To keep an eye on the party while her daughters were free to play. It was a role that still fit her like an old glove - one untainted by childhood traumas.

The same could be said of Anna again dragging Elsa off for fun and bonding. And of Elsa again trying to be proper and formal, but giving in soon enough. As evidenced by her Queenly smile turning into a real, eager smile before she left the Great Hall.

At that moment, every member of the royal family felt young and free again.

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The noise from the castle wasn't loud enough to be heard from the cemetery. Nevertheless, the lone ice statue there did face in the castle's direction.

It would face the royal family directly later tonight. They were coming by anyway, but now that Anna had even bigger news for it, they'd be in more of a rush. There was no need, though.

Even in summer, it still wouldn't melt. Through years and decades, it wouldn't melt. Regardless of the news – good and bad – it heard in that time, it wouldn't melt.

No matter what, the ice statue of King Gaspar of Arendelle wasn't going away.

That went for the smile of pride on its face too.

**THE END**

**And now, from Karts of Sugar Rush, a song for the end credits. Karts told me this is supposed to be set to the instrumental of a Demi Lovato song – one other than her version of Let It Go – called Two Worlds Collide. It can be found on YouTube in a video by Superstar9922.**

'Royal Reunion'

_They were so young when they were separated  
Not only them two but all of them were devastated  
For years the parents couldn't be open  
They all felt like their hearts were broken  
One time the parents went out to sea and didn't return  
Then more the sisters' hearts did yearn_

They wanted a royal reunion

The older sister became queen  
The younger sister wanted things the way they had been  
By accident the older released a curse  
Then the younger set out to help her do the reverse  
Both nearly died; a part of them returned inside

They had a royal reunion

Later the parents returned and found things had changed  
Father and Mother were then estranged  
Queen and Princess were woken up by a plight  
In the ballroom, they found a shocking sight  
Children thought they had died  
Turns out on an island they did reside

They had a royal family reunion

Emotions were let out  
One felt like they had to shout  
Everyone had to get reacquainted with each other  
Parents learned Princess found love with another  
Father and Mother learned Queen had let it go  
Secrets came out that were made of snow  
Together their family repaired  
Everyone in the family cared

They had a royal reunion

Soon the truth came to the kingdom  
Villain thought Parents held more wisdom  
Villain tried to make the Queen step down  
Her parents refused to take back the crown  
He went insane and no longer seemed humane

People fought for the royal family  
At the end came a tragedy  
Family gathered for one last time  
The Villain had committed the worst crime

At least they had a royal reunion

Royal life went on  
They still were gone  
The rest tried not to be withdrawn  
Their family wasn't like that anymore  
They still had an open door


End file.
